Operation New Girl
by Nakoujou
Summary: Namikaze Minato, Konoha High's most popular boy and fastest runner, must find a way into new girl Uzumaki Kushina's pants or else lose his inheritance to his friends. But can he do that without his best friend Mikoto defending Kushina?
1. Chapter 1

Operation New Girl

So the insipiration for writing this was after reading chapter 500. I guess when reading the flashback during the meeting between Kushina and Mikoto (Sasuke's mom), I got curious about their relationship. Apparently, a lot of people did cause I've read so many threads of people discussing their relationship and how it relates to Naruto and Sasuke haha. Anyway, I'm very interested in these two now and Minato and wanted to read fanfictions about them. Unfortunately, I couldn't find that many so why not write one? I usually do sasusaku stories, but this is a nice change.

Summary: The generation of of the Konoha 11's parents are in high school, where they experience the mayhem of teenage hormones growing up. Everything is fine and smooth flowing until one day, the new girl Uzumaki Kushina comes to the prestigious Konoha High, where she causes friendships to be broken and made. Under a dare from the boys, the popular Namikaze Minato must find a way to get into Kushina's pants before the school year ends or face losing his whole inheritance to them. This dare greatly angers his (EX) best friend Iwate Mikoto, who tries everything in her might to protect the poor new girl away from the boys and evils of high school.

FYI: This chapter is gonna be LOOONNNGG

Chapter 1

"MIKO-CHAN SAVE MEEEEEEEEE!" A familiar voice screamed through Mikoto's ear.

Chidori Mikoto, a girl with long black hair and matching eyes, was doing her normal routine like any school day. She would get dressed in her typical school uniform, consisting of a blue skirt with a sailor-like top, like any school day. She would walk to school like any school day. She would wave hi to her friends and chat them for a while before heading to her locker like any school day. She would then proceed to stuff books inside her locker and take some out like any school day. And just like any school day, she would hear her best friend Namikaze Minato scream down the hallway, escaping from whatever trouble he unfortunately gets in. (He always swears to her that they are never his faults, though Mikoto had trouble understanding that).

She sighed as she saw Minato's figure running closer to her sight. She had to admit that over the years, her dear friend had grown quite handsome. For someone who used to be a total crybaby and more girly than she was, Minato had grown well. If they never had history as best friends, she probably would have a crush on him. He had dashing good looks, thanks to his spikey blond hair and warm tan skin. He had the most brilliant blue eyes that was the main reason girls swoon over him, according to her friends. And of course, he had one of the biggest smiles Mikoto had ever known. He was always calm and cheerful, with the exception of certain time of the day. Like now.

"Ohayou, Minato-kun, I see you're-" Though trying to act as calm and jokeful with her friend as possible, Mikoto was unsuccessful when she felt him grab her shoulders. Minato proceeded to hide behind her like a scared, little baby. She had a sweatdrop when she saw what was incoming towards them.

"Chidori, what the hell are you doing with him?" Mikoto heard another familiar voice screech. This time, it was a girl. And well, Mikoto didn't really hate her. She didn't like her though. Stomping through the hallway was Inaba Aiya. She was, according to Konoha High, the most popular girl in school. She was a brunette with wavy hair and blue eyes that melted most boys until they saw what was inside. A lot of people liked her, or at least, for what she stood for. She was head cheerleader, one of the top 10 students in school, and president of the student council ("Do they ever do anything?" their friend Shikaku once wondered). She was the richest girl in school, her family owning a law firm worth millions. Aiya did not look happy. Then again, she was never happy when she saw Mikoto and Minato together. As she did to everybody (even to people she disliked), Mikoto smiled pleasantly at her.

"Ohayou, Aiya-san. I'm loving how you did your eyes today. Where did you get that color-"

"Quit it, Chidori. Surrender Minato-kun, or else," Aiya spat darkly. Mikoto always got the most dangerous glares from her, and it was obvious why. Of course, Mikoto always loved to play dumb, especially when it brought her friend to tears. Minato was practically shaking behind her with his stupid grin. Mikoto never liked confrontations with Aiya, and thanks to Minato, they were often. She would get payback, even though everybody referred to her as a nice girl.

"Oh dear, Aiya-san, tell me what he did this time. I'm sure he'll return the favor in some way, like," Mikoto glanced back at Minato with her infamous smirk. Minato gulped. "A kiss?"

"Miko-chan, don't do this to me!" Minato whispered harshly as he crouched behind her even more.

Aiya placed her hands on her hips like her typical cheerleader-self. Mikoto continued to smile, with her books pressed against her chest. Aiya cursed.

"Damn, Chidori, you can't keep up with this nice girl act. I know you like him; you're just too coward to admit it! Don't use your stupid BFF excuse to keep him away from girls!" She fired back in jealousy. Mikoto nodded more in compliance than agreement. Aiya, and her circle of friends, always had the idea that she was in love with Minato cause it was so typical in movies but really, it wasn't like that. Nonetheless, she never fought it due to the little pleasure Mikoto got when she refused to deny it in front of Aiya.

"Whatever makes you happy, Aiya-san. Minato-kun, if you would?"

"Huh? Wait, what are you doing-WHY MIKO-CHAN?" Minato had suddenly lost his shield, who had stepped to the side chuckling. She whipped backwards, heading to her classroom. Before disappearing from the scene, she gave her friend a soft wave.

"Treat her well, Minato-kun!" She laughed. _That boy seriously needs a girlfriend if he wants to escape from others. If only I could find the perfect girl for him..._

Aiya squealed in delight. "Ahh! I knew I could she was so submissive! Now then, Minato-kun, shall we?"

"MIKO-CHAN!" Minato was the only one who could see Mikoto's hidden dark side behind her smile.

* * *

"Ooohh, Inaba is pretty cute though," Chozu stated. All the boys nodded in agreement with the exception of Minato. He shivered at the thought of that girl over him. He had never felt so scared in his life. Minato had returned to the classroom just only minutes ago, a long way to go before class would even start, and told the whole story to his friends.

"Damn, Namikaze, trying to get some before school eh? Trying to be Rihanna, good girl gone bad?" Inoichi joked as he patted his friend in the back hard. Minato tried to keep as calm as always, but that was hard when it came to girls.

"Che. Inaba is annoying as hell," Shikaku complained with a toothpick in his mouth. "Always reminding everybody about the spirit days when only like five people dress up."

"Her and her little posse," The Hyuuga twins, Hiashi and Hizashi, added in sync. They did that alot, the group was always found it normal.

"Oh shut up, and what do you mean, good girl gone bad?" Minato argued, his face red from embarrassment. It was true that out of all of them, Minato was considered the most pure and unlikely to do stupid things, like get into sex, girls, drugs, and drinks. But still, a girl...

"Idiot, getting so emotional about girls," Fugaku commented in a monotone.

"So, so, gimme your secret, my fellow yellow. How did you get her alone?" Inoichi teased as he leaned in closer. Minato scowled.

"Simple, I got the help from THAT TRAITOR!" Minato cried as he pointed angrily to Mikoto, who sat a few seats away from the boys. The girls, in their own circle, looked back at them. The girls consisted of Mikoto, who was sitting at her desk, surrounded by Tsume and Yoshino. Although the girls' group was small, they were tight and closer than any girls could be. Even though Tsume and Yoshino were loud and demanding, Mikoto admired their independence and confidence they had with their loudness. They never had boyfriends, but were more than happy to stay like that. Mikoto giggled at Minato. Even when mad, he still looked like a child.

"Hey there, I was helping you out with the female field," Mikoto responded lightly with a smile.

"Yeah, by why Inaba out of all girls?" Minato argued as he immediately jumped towards the girls. The boys followed, making their group even larger.

"Why not Inaba? She could be your wife one day, Minato-kun," Mikoto joked. "Can't always be afraid."

"Yeah, cause she got him whipped," Tsume added, erupting laughter from everybody. Minato wanted to escape from his so-called friends.

"Miko-chan, I told you I don't want any girls. None of them interest me, or even that into me," He explained with a modest smile.

Yoshino let out a hard laugh. "You're kidding me, right, chica?"

"Why is everybody assuming I'm a girl-"

"Dude, you're Konoha High's Yellow Flash! You're the fastest runner this school has seen since...forever!" Chozu exclaimed.

"And you have dashingly good looks," Hizashi grinned, intentionally creeping Minato out.

"If only you joined football, we could have scored Nationals!"

Minato laughed. "Nah, football's already got you Chozu, the number one blocker."

"And the fact Minato doesn't want to dirty his luscious skin. What's on your pretty face, La Mer?" Tsume taunted with a grin. Once again, the group laughed. They could never stop making fun of Minato, even if the whole school considered him the most popular boy in Konoha High. Out of all the people he chose to be friends with...

"Hey guys, stop teasing Minato-kun like that, it'snot right," Mikoto said giggling. "When the time comes, he'll tell us."

Awww Mikoto-chan, you totally baby him! Hard to understand why all the bitches in school think you're madly in love with him," Hizashi commented.

"I know. Minato would never take care of his skin so much for girls," Mikoto chipped too gleefully, but Minato was too dense to notice.

"I know! You're the best friend ever, Miko-chan!"

"He does it for Uchiha-kun!" Mikoto exclaimed cheerfully.

Minato squeaked. Fugaku sent a death glare to Mikoto. The whole group was laughing. God, they took in great joy of teasing their most popular friend. Their laughter was the loudest thing in the classroom right now, gaining attention from the rest of their classmates. Laughter was a common thing in that room everyday from the same group. They were one of the tightest group of friends ever. Nobody ever departed or taken in ever since the circle formed.

The noises lowered as the door opened.

"Now, now, kids, settle down. Gotta enjoy every minute of Statistics here," A feminine voice spoke. The group dispersed to their different seats. Minato decided to take a seat behind his friend, much to Mikoto's dismay. Every time he sat behind her, he always took the opportunity to throw spitballs at her, poke her with his pencil, or tease her about possible crushes. She couldn't do anything to him back in fear she would get in trouble. Tsunade-sensei had just entered the classroom followed by an unknown figure. It was a girl. Probably a new student. She had the longest red hair anybody had seen and bright violet eyes. She seem short and wore the school uniform. Her eyes could not stay still, darting back and forth. The whole class were in awe, mainly the boys. Some were wolf-whistling or whispering among themselves about the new girl. Mikoto smiled.

_Such a pretty girl. Obviously the boys will love her. It must be embarrassing for her right now_, She thought to herself.

"Ohayou, everybody," The new girl said with a big smile. Her knees were still buckled together, obviously. It was only her first day. She was probably nervous.

"Class, let me introduce you to Uzumaki Kushina. She's from the Whirlpool District and this is her first day here," Tsunade explained.

"No kidding!" Inoichi said in glee.

"Shut up, Yamanaka! Do you want detention again?" Tsunade barked. Inoichi scowled before he slouched back against his chair. Small chuckles spread across the class.

"Anyway, I want you guys to give your utmost respect and warm welcome to Uzumaki, right? And I mean it, boys," Tsunade demanded as she glared at all the boys across the room. Mikoto understood why. Boys at Konoha tend to be, well, immature and competitive when it came to females.

"Now for your seat..." Tsunade placed a questioning finger up the room, trying to decide where to put her. All the boys got excited.

"Over here, babe!"

"No way, you don't want her nearby that Uchiha ice cube!"

"You want to die, Hyuuga?"

"Kushina-chan, you know blondes have all the fun!"

"Cause they're too stupid to do anything like Yamanaka."

"HEY!"

Mikoto chuckled. She turned around to her friend. "Man, all the boys are so rowdy. Why can't you be like them Minato-Eh?"

Minato was not paying attention to a single world she was saying. Rather, he seem to be frozen. His eyes did not blink, as if in a trance. He was paralyzed. She wavered her hands around his face. No response. How new of him, Mikoto thought. She glanced back at the new girl, who was nervously looking at the ground in embarrassment. Mikoto's eyes sparkled.

_Aha...Crushing on the new girl already..._

"Over there, by Namikaze!" Tsunade announced. Boys filled up the room with moans. Girls filled it up with rage.

"DAMNIT, NAMIKAZE ALWAYS GETS THE GIRLS!"

"Oh I'm sure he'll Yellow Flash her!"

"That's such a lame joke, Yamanaka."

"That new girl better not do anything with him!"

"This is so troublesome."

"You bitches better not mess with the new girl!" Mikoto heard Tsume threaten. Despite her mean demeanour, Tsume was always about girl power and defending each other.

Minato's reaction to the news was quite slow. His shock came in only when Kushina took a seat next to him. He panicked, facing away from her. Kushina gave him an odd look. Mikoto was not pleased.

"Hey, snap out of it, you big baby! It's just a girl! Say hi!" Mikoto whispered her demand. Minato shook his head weakly.

"H-h-hey. Namikaze Minato," Minato introduced himself nervously. His hand was shaking. Kushina took in willingly. She had a huge smile.

"Nice to meet you, Namikaze-san."

"Oh no! Just Minato is fine! Or any nickname! In fact, whatever makes you happy or fits you or, yeah." Minato was so screwing this up. Mikoto had never seen him so nervous before. She was enjoying this.

Kushina was about to let go but still felt Minato's tight hold around her. A blush crept to her face and she couldn't bare to look at Minato. Minato was confused. Then he saw his hand and panicked. He immediately let go and soon, the two had matching red faces.

"I'm s-sorry! I didn't mean to hold on that long, not that it was horrible, it actually felt nice, and well, don't take it wrong! I don't hate your hand, it was actually soft-"

"HANDJOB!" Inochi screamed. The class resumed to its rowdy self. Tsunade slammed a fist on her desk.

"YAMANAKA! STAY AFTER CLASS!"

Yamanaka pouted. Mikoto was indeedly enjoying today. Maybe Minato could finally find a girlfriend in the new girl...She seem very sweet...

And then lunch came.

* * *

Hey thanks for reading this! For readers who have read my former stories, thanks for still being with me! I know I wrote another story before this, but I just didn't feel it. It was gonna be WAY too dramatic than I wanted to be and I didn't think I was ready for it. I'll definitely return to it one day, but now, I'm into comedy. It's my specialty, or at least, I like it better than drama. Sorry for those who wanted me to continue the other one! I'll put it on Hiatus and just start with this one! I'm really looking forward to it cause I'm not used to doing anything other than Sasusaku! In fact, I'm really excited about this one. Please read and review. Thank you!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

And so lunch came for the students of Konoha High. The majority of the students rushed to the cafeteria, hoping to get the first picks of the trays of food. Mikoto was a bit disappointed that she did not have the period before with the new girl Kushina. She wanted to eat lunch with her if fear that Kushina didn't have anybody. They had talked for a little bit during first period when they first met, but that was the only class so far with her.

"I wonder if Minato-kun asked her to join us," Mikoto thought out loud, giggling at the thought as she walked down the hallway. Her group always hung out in the courtyard, under a beautiful cherry blossom tree. Occasionally, they would separate into girls or boys depending on whether the boys were being idiots or rowdy. Yoshino and Tsume were staying after class for a project, leaving Mikoto the only girl at their group today. She sighed but could always handle the boys. She felt like a big sister, and sometimes the den mother, to all of them.

Hoping that Minato would do the job instead, Mikoto proceeded to their hangout spot. It was a warm spring day. That made her more excited to having lunch. But today, something was off. From far away, Mikoto could The boys were not being rowdy today. They were not loud today. In fact, there seem to be new people at their spot. None of them included Kushina. They were a group of tall, well-built boys who had a nasty look on their faces. The head one was the tallest and most well-built of them all, with dark red hair and small black eyes. He had his chin held up high, glaring at Minato and the rest as if they were worth as much as snails. Mikoto took in a huge gulp.

"Oh no, not them..." She cringed.

It was Kazekage Sun and his gang. They were part of the track and field team on the short-distance unit, just like Minato. Sun was the second fastest, next to Minato, and was always trying to take over his position. It had caused an immediate rivalry between the two that Sun could not bear to be the inferior one. Another exchange between the two. Mikoto had no idea what they were arguing about this time, but it appeared not to go well. She hid behind a tree, hoping to be close enough to hear them. At the same time, she didn't want to be near them at all. Minato and the boys had warned her several times not to come close to Kazekage; They simply did not trust that guy with girls, especially Mikoto.

_Does Kazekage ever smile in joy?_ She wondered. He seem to always be pissed at everything, especially Minato.'

"Chidori." Mikoto gasped in shock at her name. She swooshed around, panicking. To her relief, it was only Fugaku, he gave her a strange look.

"Ah, Uchiha-kun, sorry! I-I-I didn't see you-"

"Worried about Namikaze?"

Mikoto nodded her head, slightly embarassed. "Hai. You know Kazekage's always trying to a pick a fight with him. He scares me, especially since Minato told me to always avoid him."

"Don't worry. Namikaze can handle him. Besides, I promised to keep a good eye on you if he couldn't."

Mikoto smiled weakly. "Ada, I didn't know Uchiha-kun was a big softie! You really are his best friend!"

Fugaku glared at her. "Don't take it that way. I just don't want to argue with him. He can be so childish in fights."

MIkoto giggled. "My, my, Uchiha-kun. I dunno why people think you can't be funny."

"Hmph."

She sighed. She knew very well how Uchihas worked. The men in their family tended to be cold, distant, quiet, and practically emotionless, according to many sources. Nonetheless, Fugaku resumed to watching the confrontation between Minato and Kazekage, hoping for the best.

"Minato-kun's such a big boy now. I trust that he would never do anything stupid-"

"ALRIGHT SUN! I PROMISE THAT BY THE END OF THIS YEAR, I WILL TAKE THE NEW GIRL'S VIRGINITY WITH PROOF BY HER PANTIES AND BRAS! IF I FAIL, I WILL GIVE YOU MY FREAKING INHERITANCE. IT'S ON!"

There was a deathly silence.

Mikoto had dropped her books. Her face was pale as a ghost. Her eyes were in different directions. She felt like she could faint right now.

"Oh shit." Fugaku mumbled as he saw Mikoto's sudden change of state.

She couldn't believe this. Out of all the boys in the school, just why, why Minato? He was supposed to be the innocent, gentleman of the group. He was supposed to be...

Kazekage howled in laughter. "Ha! Try to have fun with that, Namikaze! I better expect a nice sports car in my parking lot by the end!" He snarled dangerously. And then, he and his gang left the group alone. Minato clenched his fists together, teeth gritting. His blue eyes did not leave Kazekage's disappearing figure. Shikaku placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Oi, Minato, you sure you can do this..."

Minato only smirked. A new kind of smirk. There was a hint of cockiness to it that was never there before.

"Of course I can. I'm Konoha's Yellow Flash, am I not?"

SMACK

Minato took a step back from the sudden force on his cheek. It was burning red. He winced in widen his eyes as he saw his attacker.

"M-M-Miko-chan? W-W-what..."

"Namikaze Minato! What on earth are you planning to do with this?" She yelled at him like never before. The ever so peaceful and serene Mikoto was now bursting with anger. "If you're gonna have a crush on the new girl, do it the romantic way, not the stupid sex crazy ways of Inoichi!"

Inoichi eyed her curiously. "What's that supposed to me-"

"Stay out of this, blondie!" She shot back. Inoichi obeyed. He had never seen MIkoto so angry, and he planned not to get caught in it.

Minato chuckled nervously. "B-B-But Miko-chan, you don't understand-"

"I won't let you, Minato-kun! She's new and sweet and kind and innocent; I won't let you do that to her! Who knows what has happened to her in the past? What if she went through some kind of abuse or torture or parental issues or-"

"Chidori, please calm down..." Fugaku advised in a monotone.

"Oh like you care, Uchiha! You're practically a human ice cube!"

Many "oohs" and "ahhs" erupted from their group. Mikoto had never, EVER, taunted someone that harsh ("It so true..." Hiashi whispered among everybody). Fugaku did not waver or show any sign of annoyance. He merely sighed, as if he understood it. That was rare too. Fugaku would usually try to beat up the next person who would do something like that.

"Hey, hey, Miko-chan, don't be so harsh to Fugaku..."

"And you, Minato-kun! Why on earth would you think of doing such a thing! I didn't think you would ever plan something like this! Especially to a girl that I can actually approve of!"

Minato blushed. "What are you, my mother! I'm a big boy now! I can do whatever I want!"

"Oh really, now? Aren't you still a virgin?" Mikoto asked dangerously. Minato gulped. He shook his head sideways. He had never heard her ask such an embarassing question before. He was glad Kazekage wasn't there. It would have been the most humiliating moment stared at her weakly.

"Miko-chan, just leave this alone."

To his dismay, she crossed her arms, looking at him sternly. "Fine, you can do it only if you can. I'm going to make sure Kushina will never think of sleeping you, no, even date you! How are you gonna do that in three months?"

Minato was about to argue back, but nothing came out of his mouth. Mikoto smiled victoriously. He was so clueless about girls. There was no way he could succeed in this. She didn't care if he would have to risk his inheritance. Money was not the most important thing in the world. He would face the consequences but taking up such a deal.

"Well what about you, Miko-chan? Say that I do, and I WILL, come up with a plan. How are you gonna stop me?"

Ouch. She didn't think about that either.

* * *

"Damn, that is a pretty good idea," Minato grumbled angrily as he munched on his banana.

"As expected from Mikoto, finding a peaceful solution to everything," Shikakau noted. She didn't actually say what it was by when her confused face turned into a very unusual smirk, they immediately knew. It was a powerful one. It could really work.

"Man, she's so smart! Makes her even more prettier..." Inoichi said dreamily.

"EH? Don't say things like that, Yamanaka!" Minato fired. Fugaku stared at him curiously. Inoichi chuckled.

"Hey, isn't this funny? You try to defend Mikoto-chan from boys, but instead of keeping you away from girls, shes keeping them away from YOU. I'm loving how this turns out."

Minato scowled. "Ahh don't worry! It's just a small fights! By tomorrow, we'll be the best of friends again! It always turns out like that!"

* * *

"There is no way I'll forgive him," MIkoto said bitterly to herself. She was walking quicker than usual. She was heading to the cafeteria. That was most likely where Kushina would eat. An area where it was easy to mingle. She was a soft, kind, sweet girl. Mikoto could never let that happen to her.

_Judging from what I've seen in that class, she is very innocent. I doubt that she's ever had a boyfriend. Too shy? She didn't really talk much aside from me and Minato. And she was so embarassed when all the boys were crushing on her. It doesn't help that the most of the girls wanted to kill her. She seem so sweet. She's probably dense too. She probably doesn't know that Minato has a huge crush on her already. They could be the cutest couple but NO! Minato-kun just had to be stupid and take up that stupid deal to have sex with her! Oh, that poor girl..._

_I hope Aiya-san doesn't target her. She always targets new girls. All of the new girls ended up changing school or just end up as wallflowers. Oh, dear I hope I'm not too late..._

Mikoto opened the doors to the cafeteria, looking around for the red head. To her delight and surprise, it was rather quick. Her eyes widened.

"What the..."

"TAKE THAT YOU FREAKIN DOG! YOU DON'T WANT TO SUMMON THE RED HOT BLOODED HANNEBERO TTEBANE!"

Uzumaki Kushina, the new red head girl in Konoha High. In less than a day, she had managed to throw a platter full of spaghetti right into a girl's face. The girl: Inaba Aiya. Kushina looked pissed off but managed a sublime smirk. It appeared as if her face was burning with rage and excitement at the same time. Mikoto could faint right now.

_T-T-That wasn't the same girl from c-c-class..._

Now that she thought about it, Mikoto was pretty sure this kind of girl could never fall for Minato. She just couldn't. She could probably hold on her own. And so, Mikoto's worries began to diminish slowly.

Poor, poor...

...Minato.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Ahhh that felt so good!" Kushina exclaimed to Mikoto as they headed to the courtyard. "Damn, she had it coming!"

The two girls were walking down the hallways, away from the cafeteria. Kushina was telling Mikoto the story of their previous event that had just occurred in the cafeteria. Apparently, Kushina was simply buying lunch when all of a sudden, Aiya decided to be her usual self and pick on the poor new girl. Kushina wanted to do nothing, just smile and ignore, but Aiya would not stop. Irritated from all the insults, Kushina had pummeled the girl with a plate of spaghetti to which she admitted, made her day. It had caught everybody's attention. No girl had ever stood up to Aiya like that, let alone even throw food at her ("I'm pretty sure all the girls wanted to," Kushina added). It was only a matter of time before Mikoto stepped in and immediately dragged her away from the setting and found themselves at their current moment.

"Wow, to think I thought you were such a calm girl..." Mikoto confessed. Kushina laughed.

"Are you kidding me? I wasn't called a hannebero for no reason! That was the nickname my classmates gave me at my last school! I don't let anybody take advantage of me, guys or girls!"

Mikoto let out a sigh of relief. She was having more confidence in this girl after hearing was certain that this girl would not fall for Minato.

"Anyway, what's the deal with Namikaze Minato?"

Mikoto nearly froze. Oh dear. It was only her first day too. Then again, the majority of new girls immediately found him good-looking. Maybe his shyness was attractive to Kushina? Opposites do attract, Mikoto always thought.

"W-W-What do y-you mean?"

"Well gimme your honest opinion, Mikoto-chan. That Inaba girl seemed obsessed with him; She got mad at me just for sitting next to me! Is he like, the school player or something!"

Mikoto giggled. "Quite the opposite. Minato-kun's never had a girlfriend or even kissed one. Everybody loves him because he's the fastest runner in the school and extremely friendly to everybody."

"Eeehh, does that mean you like him?" Kushina asked slyly with a smirk. Mikoto knew this was coming.

"Oh yeah, cause it's inevitable that every girl eventually falls for her best guy friend," She answered sarcastically. Kushina laughed.

"But seriously, Minato-kun has been my best friend since we were little. Our fathers work at the same place and we had the same babysitter growing up. You could say he's a brother to me."

"Aww, it would be cute if it actually happened, best friends falling for each other," Kushina commented.

"Not us," Mikoto laughed. "Well, what about you? Don't you find Minato-kun quite handsome? I know I'm his best friend, but his eyes are really nice." It was best to edge her on now.

"HA! His eyes are too pretty, like a girl's! I'm actually quite jealous of his looks. And he's got amazing skin! It like...glows!" Kushina exclaimed too happily. Mikoto laughed along. She was really liking this girl. "But sorry Mikoto-chan, I don't fall for guys prettier than me."

And the girls couldn't stop laughing. Mikoto was sure that Minato would not succeed in his plan. No worries came to her. She wouldn't have to do a thing pretty much except keep a close eye on Kushina at all times. She did not want Minato taking advantage of any small moments alone. Even if Kushina's loud and completely different from the class, she is pure at the heart. _Minato-kun, please don't keep it up..._

* * *

"Ahh damn it! Miko-chan's already done it! We're screwed!" Minato cried hopelessly. He had peaked behind a corner and saw the two girls laughing and chating with each other. He couldn't exactly hear their conversation, but they were getting extremely friendly. This was horrible. Minato had ready about psychological effects when it came to friends. It haunted him tremendously.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no, when they become the best friends, which they won't cause Mikoto's MY best friend, Kushina-chan won't want to date me cause it's just not right dating best friend's best friend and therefore, I'm screwed! Let's stop this! Miko-chan's right, this is stupid! I don't know anything about girls-"

"OH SHUT UP, COWARD!" Inoichi screamed into his ears. Minato covered his ears immediately, sliding down the wall to a crouching position. Inoichi had his hands crossed, looking down at Minato like a commander to his underlings.

"It hasn't been one hour and you're already backing away! Don't you know what's going to happen if you don't do this?" Inoichi reminded him. Minato didn't want to listen, but his friend was right. He remembered the deal he made with Kazekage. The consequences of not doing it was far too great.

Fugaku scoffed. "The one time you let your ego get to you, you end up making a fool out of yourself."

"Hey, you would have done the same thing if it was Miko-chan, Uchiha!" Minato shot back with a smirk. Fugaku glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean, Namikaze?"

"OH PUH-LEASE, Fugaku! The only girl you bother to even have any form of contact with his Miko-chan, and I'll admit, she's gotten prettier. In fact, you seem to blink less around her-"

"I'm not the one who needs to learn how to get a girl in bed in three months, do I?" Fugaku smirked. Minato wanted to strangle him. Oh, that Uchiha was good.

"Minato, putting that ridiculous stunt before aside, you gotta do it. The last thing you need is Kazekage humiliating you in front of the whole school," Shikaku reminded him.

The twins both nodded their heads. "You gotta act fast, man. This isn't something you can wait til the last second. Girls need as much time as you can." said Hiashi.

"Or you can be romantic and sway her away right now and do it in the janitor's closet!" Inoichi joked. Nobody laughed.

"That's rape."

"No, it's spontaneous love making."

Minato sighed. He was glancing out the window, where he saw Mikoto introduce Kushina to the rest of the girls. He saw Kushina smiling, one of the biggest and brightest smile he ever saw. She had a pin hold her hair back, showing off her porcelain light skin. He felt his lips crook upwards at the sight of her. All the girls were laughing. And then, he and Mikoto made eye contact. Both were sending off glares to each other. She was still angry at him. With her face, Mikoto seem to say "You better stop your stupid deal or we are not gonna talk anymore." He actually knew she was right. He was being stupid with this deal. But she didn't know the whole story. If he didn't take the deal...

"No, I wouldn't tell her," Minato said to himself. It was best if the girls didn't know the true story. It would result in Kushina doing things she didn't want to do. She was such a sweet and calm girl too. He would never want to hurt her like that. Some crush this was. Damn it, Mikoto was ruining his plan.

_She's so gonna glue herself to Kushina, everywhere. Day, night, school, phone, everywhere. God, the only class I have with Kushina is the one with Miko-chan too. If only something could keep her mind off Kushina..._

And then an idea lit up in Minato's mind. He smiled childishly. He wasn't surprised that it wasn't the first thing to even think off. Mikoto was, no doubt, still a girl. Girls may be the most closest with each other, but no one could stop making room for others.

"Oi, Minato, why are you grinning so stupidly?" Fugaku asked, annoyed with his friend's weirdness at the moment.

Minato turned around, facing Fugaku with an evil grin.

"Fugaku, don't you have to buy your parents an anniversary gift?"

* * *

The bell rang. The school day was over. Mikoto and Kushina were walking to the entrance of the school, where everybody usually went to to walk home or drive. To Mikoto's delight, Kushina had a wonderful first day of school. Aside from the incident at the cafeteria, Kushina went through her day with no problems. Sure, the boys were still crazy about her, but none did anything too serious. Mikoto was quite surprise that Minato had yet to have contact with Kushina yet. She smiled inwardly at it.

_Tch, his shyness got to him, probably_, Mikoto to girls normally was not a problem for Minato; Talking to crushes was. He could never take advices from Inoichi or the Hyuuga twins easily; their ways were way too different and sexual for Minato and would never work. Fugaku was nearly a block and rarely talked to girls. Shikaku was just too lazy and would find it troublesome. Minato was incredibly screwed.

"Ahh, today was so fun! Mikoto-chan, I'm so glad I got to hang out with you today! We should go shopping over the weekend!" Kushina exclaimed.

"Of course! The malls here are pretty nice! Where do you live? We could walk home together-"

"Chidori."

Mikoto jumped at the sound of the familiar voice. She spun around and smack into someone's chest. She took a step back, rubbing her nose.

"Itai, what the-ah? Uchiha-kun? I'm sorry! I-I-I didn't mean to and-Wait, shouldn't you be home now? You have a car."

It was indeed Uchiha Fugaku. He had his hands stuffed in his pockets and still had his ordinary calm face. But something about of was not normal. It was out of the ordinary. It seem a bit, troubled? A little bit, pissed? Or nervous? What was he gonna do?

"Don't worry about that. Um..." Uchihas say "Um?" This was new to Mikoto.

"Do you mind if we..."

"OH MY GOD! YOU'RE ASKING HER OUT!" Kushina screamed in shock, no longer able to contain her curiosity. Fugaku sent a death glare to her. His hands immediately tightened into a fist. Kushina blushed and laughed nervously.

"Ahhh...Sorry, go on," She said, embarrassed.

Mikoto's cheeks were scarlet red. "Kushina-chan, d-don't worry. We're only friends."

"For now," Kushina whispered under her breath, grinning.

Mikoto blushed again and looked down. She couldn't face Fugaku. "Anyway, um, what were you gonna say?" Oh god, he better not ask her out. Not that she minded. Fugaku was quite a handsome boy, maybe even more than Minato in her opinion, but still. He was part of their circle. It would just be...awkward, she assumed.. Even more weird, he was Minato's best friend that was a guy she supposed. That's not how things would work. He was way to quiet and emotionless to her.

"Well, I just wanted your help on finding my parents an anniversary gift."

Mikoto blinked in disbelief. She didn't understand. "Eh?" Why out of all the things, he would talk to her about this?

"Oh my god, you loser! You might as well just say "LET'S GO OUT AND KISS UNDER THE STARS!" Kushina commented quite loudly.

"Kushina-chan! Please!" Mikoto pleaded, blushing more red than before. Fugaku stiffened a bit.

"I'm sorry, Uchiha-kun, um, that's wonderful and congratulations to your parents, but why m-m-me?"

"Well, uhh..." Fugaku was getting more nervous than before. Mikoto had never seen him like this. It was so not...Uchiha-ish. "M-M-Minato said you very good at picking gifts and well...It's their 25th anniversary and I want it be very special but I don't know what to get..."

Mikoto sighed. She looked over Kushina with a slightly worried look. To her dismay, Kushina gave her a huge thumbs up and a bright smile.

"GO FOR IT, MIKOTO-CHAN! MELT THAT HUMAN BLOCK'S HEART TTEBANE!" She persuaded energetically.

_Namikaze intends to have sex with **that**?_ Fugaku thought, quite ticked off. "Anyway, my car is that way if you..."

"Oh of course! Anything to help you, Uchiha-kun!" Mikoto shook her head, a bit embarrassed. Why was she getting so nervous? It was only Fugaku. She's known him since middle school. It was just like with any other boy. She smiled weakly at Kushina, who was hand-motioning signs to her. Mikoto waved goodbye to her new friend and went inside Fugaku's car. It was a bright blue sports car. It was very expensive, Mikoto could tell. She sat shotgun, next to Fugaku. As he started the engine, Mikoto looked over to Kushina nervously. I hope she'll be alright...

And so Kushina continued waving goodbye to her new friend until the car drove off, disappearing into the sunset. Kushina sighed peacefully. "That's so cute..."

Suddenly, she felt someone tap her shoulder. She turned around and saw a familiar and handsome face."Hey, aren't you..."

"Hey Kushina-chan! Mind if I walk with you? These streets can be quite dangerous, you know?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"E-Eh? Y-Y-Yamanaka-san?" Kushina asked in disbelief.

Inoichi laughed too loudly. "Please, just Inoichi-chan if you must! Or you can call me 'yours,' eh Kushi-baby?" He suggested as he placed an arm around her shoulder. Kushina chuckled nervously.

"Ahh, it's okay, Inoichi. Besides, my house is pretty far. It's all the way down there," Kushina noted, brushing him off. She began her trek in the opposite direction.

Inoichi's eyes sparkled. "Hey, what a coincidence; So I do! Oh we can walk home together every single day! Don't you think that's lovely, Kushi-chan!"

"Hahaha...I guess..." Kushina replied weakly, rubbing her head as she began pacing incredibly quickly away from him. To her disappointment, Inoichi was still able to keep up with her. Mikoto had said that Yamanaka was in cross country. Of course he would be able to catch up. She sighed. She wanted to yell at his face to just go away but she had to learn to control herself. Being loud never gave her too many friends. She had to not get so angry easily. It wasn't as if he was being mean to her. Just incredibly annoying.

"Oh, isn't this so cute! It's sunset and we're walking towards it! Speaking about sunsets, do you know Mighty Gai? Well he's the crazy gymnast, always wearing a leotard or unitard or whatever it's called. He's always crying and telling us we should run to the sunset and-"

Kushina wanted to shut her ears away from Inoichi's mouth. His mouth was speedy and talkative, never ending. And she had to endure this everyday now. _Just 3 months, girl, just 3 months...But it's only been a day and I want to strangle this boy!_

From a corner, a spikey-haired figure watched the two in the shadows. He looked down to his hands, holding a phone. He started texting rapidly and looked at the receiver: Kazekage Sun.

He clicked "Send." A smirk formed across his tan face.

* * *

"How about this one?" Mikoto asked Fugaku, holding up a vase with intricate floral design.

"Hm."

"Okkkaayyy...Oh, you could customize a dish and write a message on it, neh Uchiha-kun?"

"..."

Mikoto let out a deep sigh. They had been like this for nearly over an hour. Even in the car ride, barely a word was spoken. Mikoto had tried to spark up a conversation with Fugaku to pass the time, but she was too nervous. Her only contact with him were occasional stolen glances at him. He didn't bother to look at her. His eyes were on the road and road only. At least she could tell he was a safe driver.

_What's the point of asking my help if he's not gonna listen to me?_ She thought bitterly. _Really, Fugaku, it's your parents anniversary. Or at least know how to keep a girl occupied._

_This is a waste of time.._.Fugaku thought in his mind. He leaned against a wall, his hands shoved into his pockets. It was his signature pose. Relaxed, quiet, distant, and calm. He knew Mikoto was probably bored as well and possible annoyed, but it was for Minato. And god, why did he have to give his friend a favor? Oh wait, he remembered. It was for that "noble cause." It was the wrong and unorthodox kind, but still noble. He closed his eyes, reminscing what had just happened a few hours before.

_"Fugaku, don't you have to buy your parents an anniversary gift?" Minato asked him with a sly expression. _

_Fugaku raised an eyebrow. "What the hell are you talking about? They don't even do anniversaries-" _

_"Whatever. Anyway, the point is, you're gonna be our secret weapon for this operation," Minato stated. Fugaku was still confused. He wasn't sure where this was going. _

_"Oi Minato, explain," Shikaku requested. _

_Minato had a cheerful grin. " Fugaku, you're gonna woo Miko-chan away from Kushina! You're gonna have to keep Miko-chan occupied a few times. When's she's with you, alone I might add, I can use that time to get to know Kushina-chan!" _

_Fugaku was irritated. He so did not want to do this. "Why me?" _

_"YEAH WHY HIM?" Inoichi argued. He crossed his arms together and pouted like a child. _

_"Because you're a flirt, Inoichi. She won't fall for your type," Minato retorted. _

_"Oh, cause you think Mikoto-chan would rather go for that cold dickhead?" Inoichi exasperated, pointing at Fugaku. _

_Minato sighed. "Look, unlike you, I actually trust Fugaku to not do anything with her. It's the only sane choice out of you guys. Inoichi, You're too...you. I can't force Shikaku, that'll be too cruel; It'll ruin his chances with Yoshino." _

_"Hey, why would you think I would go out with that troublesome girl? She would have me whipped!" Shikaku grumbled. _

_"Exactly." Minato smirked. "And Hiashi and Hizashi well...Look here, I rather have Fugaku than you guys, okay?" _

_Hizashi laughed. "Don't worry, Minato. We're fine with it. I mean, it's only gonna be a matter in time before Fugaku gets Mikoto-chan pregnant." _

_"And raise serial killer babies." Hiashi added. _

_"They'll target you," Fugaku smirked evilly. The Hyuuga twins took a step back from him. He resumed his attention to Minato who look proudfully outside the window. "Minato, what's in it for me?" _

_"The amazing feeling you get when you helped a friend in need," Minato stated wisely. He felt like a philosopher. _

_"And?" Fugaku asked once more. Minato was in his thinking position for a couple a seconds, his finger ticking his head. He let out a deep, relaxing sigh. _

_"Okay, I'll let you and Miko-chan get dirty just this once-" _

_Fugaku smacked Minato on the head. Minato fell hard to the ground. "Dobe," He muttered. "This deal is making you into Yamanaka." _

_Minato rubbed his head painfully. Fugaku could easily tell that his friend was not comfortable with this plan, let alone deal. Witnessing it from the far, Fugaku thought Minato was just trying to be stupid and turn into Inoichi out of pure curiosity. It was only when he questioned his friend about it that Fugaku realized the real importance to this deal. He knew it wasn't something Minato would take lightly or do it for no sane reason, and he was right. Now that he thought about it, Minato was probably the only one fit for this deal. No one could do it except him. He was, as he had always been, pure at the heart, always looking out for others. He would rather take all the blame than reveal the truth. _

_Fugaku made his decision. "I'll do it." Shikaku gave him a puzzled glance, concentrating on the words Fugaku just spoke.  
_

_Minato jumped in glee. He bounced towards Fugaku and grabbed him into a too warm bear hug. "THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! It was Miko-chan that caught you on, eh? eh? EH?" _

_"Don't make me regret this," Fugaku grumbled.  
_

_Inoichi scowled. "Tch, you let HIM get dirty with Miko-chan but I can barely touch her? What kinda of plan is this?" _

_"Ah, but you're important too, Inoichi. Just give me your cell phone and you flirt with Kushina-chan all you want." _

"Uchiha-kun? Uchiha-kun..." said the annoying voice. Fugaku wanted to just relax. He didn't pay attention.

"Fugaku!" He shot open his eyes. To his surprise, he saw Mikoto's face right in front of him. She had her hands on her hips, looking annoyed at him. He knew why. He was always a bore with people. He understood it very well and preferred it that way. Mikoto was no different. She let out an exasperated sigh.

"Honestly, if you want to help buy your parents a gift, I gotta get some input from you," Mikoto explained. She did not want to do all the dirty work, it was clear on her face. "Now, what are your parents like?"

Fugaku stiffened. He turned his face away. Mikoto raised an eyebrow. There was something on his face that made him seem vulnerable, weak, and not as strong as he appeared to be. She softened up a bit, becoming more worried than angry at him.

"Uchiha-kun, a-a-are you alright? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get mad."

"No, it wasn't you Chidori. It's just...My parents."

Mikoto let her hands hanging from her sides. She bit her lips. She felt horrible now. Of course, even he would get uncomfortable when it came to this. He didn't say it, but she knew exactly what he meanted. A child trying to fix his parents' marriage for that silver year. Immediately, she saw that Fugaku had resumed to his normal look: The tough demeanor, quiet, and cold one.

"It's alright, Chidori. I'll take you home now. Thanks for you help," He said, making his way through the door. He felt a sudden warmth on his arms and he paused. He glanced back and saw that Mikoto had grabbed for him. She looked more worried than before. Even stranger, she looked worried for him. His expression didn't change. She bit her lips.

"Please, not yet. At least tell me about it, Fugaku-kun."

They were in a stare down, a very odd one. She was incredibly worried and he looked fiercely at her. She was starting to sweat a bit from nerves. This was a first. She had never called him "Fugaku-kun." That was something only reserved for Minato. it felt a bit good inside and somewhat cocky. He let out a deep sigh of surrender.

"In the car."

Mikoto smiled warmly. They would sit in Fugaku's car, in the parking lot, just talking. Fugaku had never talked so much to her before and she had never sat there listening to him as much as today.

* * *

Kushina was ready to crack. Any. Moment. Now.

"And roses, oh those can give the most important messages only if you know the codes. If a man gives you yellow ones, forget him! He should always give red ones, the color of romance. Of course, a man like me would splurge you with red roses cause you're just worth it! Did I mention that your hair is the same color as roses? Isn't it such a coincidence?"And Inoichi kept rambling on about flowers.

Kushina was in the mood on stomping on a whole bunch of flowers. No, even better, maybe his face was more entertaining to see with her footprint on it. Just over ten minutes of hearing Inoichi talk was making Kushina into the mood of beating someone up. Her hands were tightly clenched into a fist but they never made contact with skin. At least, not Inoichi's.

"Speaking of which, what flowers do you like, Kushi-chan? I can sneak some out so you can wear them in your hair! I'm sure they'll look lovely on you! You have the complexion for it!"

Kushina smiled weakly. "That's sweet, Inoichi, but um flowers aren't really my style. I'm sure you'll look good with them in your hair. Your blond hair is the perfect base for it."_ At least the ones with thorns to pierce through you mouth and shut you up._

"Hahaha oh Kushi-chan, you are one funny girl! Oh if only I could have you-"

"YAMANAKA!" Inoichi and Kushina suddenly stopped at the sound of someone calling for them. Inoichi smirked in delight.

"Well, well, if it isn't the head asshole," Inoichi commented. "What's up, Kazekage?"

Indeed it was Kazekage, along with his group of boys behind him. Kazekage looked angry, his hands shoved into his pockets. He glared at Inoichi in disgust.

"You're in for it, Yamanaka. Can you talk trash to me like you did through the phone?" Kazekage spat out. Inoichi looked at him with a clueless look. He had no idea what was going on.

"What are you talking about-" Inoichi froze in realization. _THAT BASTARD BLONDIE! NOW I KNOW WHAT HE'S UP TO!_

"Hey, would you mind stepping out of the way? I need to go home soon," Kushina asked as politely as she could with the most sweetest smile she could muster. Kazekage observed her, looking up and down. He licked his lips.

"Oh, walking home the new girl I see? She's a lot prettier up close," Kazekage commented, reaching for her hair. She stepped back, avoiding his touch. She glared at him, somewhat pissed. Kazekage chuckled.

"Oh, the hard-to-get kind I see. Well, these streets can be dangerous. There's no way Yamanaka could protect you."

"OF COURSE I CAN! YOU'RE THE ONE THAT MAKES THE STREETS DANGEROUS, YOU TOMATO HEAD!" Inoichi screamed. He looked at Kushina confidently. "Don't worry, Kushi-chan! I'll protect you with my life-Ow!" Inoichi suddenly fell down to the ground head first. Kazekage brought back his fist towards him, cackling at how easy it was for him to hit Inoichi. He could barely keep his eyes open. Kushina leaned down to him, slightly worried.

"Inoichi, are you okay?" That was all Inoichi could hear before he fainted. Kushina gulped and returned her attention to Kazekage. He cracked his fists. He grinned evilly.

"Now, where were we?"

* * *

Minato bit his lips nervously.

_Damn I hope this plan works. Maybe I should have been the one that went up to her instead of Inoichi. Why did I make him talk to her first? God, I'm so stupid!_ He thought in his mind. He regretted his "master" plan now but he couldn't help it now. It was enforced and he had already texted Kazekage. By now, Kazekage would have picked a fight with Inoichi. He could hear the rumbling right now from the block down. That was where Kushina, Inoichi, and Kazekage and the gang were. He stood there shaking. Could he do this?

He remembered the plan he made. He thought it was the best, most amazing idea he had ever come up with. Fugaku had already taken care of Mikoto, tearing her away from Kushina. He would get Inoichi to walk her home, annoying her to death. Then, after borrowing Inoichi's phone, Minato had sent Kazekage a text, trash talking him and calling him names. Knowing his fellow track and field mate, this would easily infuriate him, which it did. Kazekage had immediately went after Inoichi. Now all, Minato had to wait was for Inoichi to go down (or at least fake it) and come to Kushina's rescue. It always worked in the movies, the girl falling for the strange, new hero to her rescue. She looked like a fragile blossom, like she would be unable to defend herself from boys due to her beauty. He rubbed his head, unsure of he could actually pull this off.

N_o, be confident! You can do this! Sure, Kazekage's twice your size and has huger muscles than a boulder and nearly trashed you freshman year, but you can do this! You're the Yellow Flash! It's for Kushina!_ Minato tried to convince himself. He had to do it. Kushina was already caught in the situation. There was no way she could get out of it by herself. Minato's eyes sadden. This really was a stupid plan. What if she got hurt? What if he would be too late? What if something horrible happened to her? He wouldn't forgive himself. Such an innocent, sweet girl, getting caught in the middle of the boys' stupid deal.

And then, a scream came to his ears. A high-pitched scream. Minato's eyes widen.

"Shit! Kushina-chan!" He cried as he made his way to the fight. _Oh no, oh no, oh no, why did I decide doing this? Oh please, please, please be alright Kushina-chan! I'm so sorry, I'm sorry..._

"KUSHINA!" When he got to the scene, he felt his heart stop.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A blond boy marched down the hallway, pushing everybody in his way to the side. He slid open the classroom door ferociously.

_It's time to settle this. After only a day, it's over..._

He slammed his arms on the desk, surprising the boy sitting there.

'NAMIKAZE! YOU GOT A LOT OF EXPLAINING TO DO YOU IDIOT! HOW DARE YOU LET ME GET BEATEN UP BY KAZEKAGE AND HIS STUPID PUNKS! YOU HUMILIATED ME IN FRONT OF KUSHI-CHAN!" Inoichi cried angrily at Minato. The rest of their friends, Fugaku, Shikaku, Chozu, and the Hyuuga twins, merely stared plainly.

"Oi Inoichi...don't tell me you didn't realize that was the plan all along..." Chozu stated, disappointed with him.

"SHUT UP! WHY DID I HAVE TO BE THE ONE THAT GETS BEATEN UP?"

"Cause you're the most naive, stupidest show off out of all of us," Shikaku explained, smirking.

"WHO GIVES A DAMN! ANYWAY NAMIKAZE-eh, what's wrong?" Inoichi asked, his mood suddenly changing at the sight of his fellow blond. Minato was unusually quiet and solemn. In fact, his face looked too pale for his tan complexion. Minato looked more worried and scarred, as if traumatized. Inoichi waved his hands back and forth, trying to catch Minato's attention.

"Oi, oi, Minato, what happened?" Inoichi asked, trying to be cheerful about it. "Things with Kushi-chan go well?"

Minato didn't speak. He bit his lips, worried to hell. Inoichi was confused. He looked to their friends, who merely shrugged. None of them were quite sure what happened either. Inoichi's eyes widen. _Could it be..._

"YOU ACTUALLY DID HER? DAMN YELLOW FELLOW IT'S ONLY BEEN A DAY TOO!"

Everybody had a sweat drop on their heads.

"Idiot pervert," Fugaku murmured, but Inoichi did not hear. He merely slapped Minato on the back victoriously.

"Hey, it's okay Minato! Sure the first time can be nervous and quite shocking, but by tomorrow, it's gonna be worth it! You'll be laughing at Kazekage!"

"It's not that, Inoichi!" Minato yelled, surprising Inoichi. Inoichi took a step back, scared of this unusually angry Minato. Minato took a deep breath, finally slouching on his chair.

"It's even worse..."

_He had heard a scream. He immediately ran the fastest he could, and yet he felt so slow. He felt as if time stopped for him but it kept going for everybody else. Sweat beads dripped down his forehead. When he reached the spot, he stopped himself. _

_"KUSHINA!" When he got to the scene, he felt his heart stop._

_"What..." Minato blinked in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he just saw. _

_Kazekage moaned in a quite high-pitch tone. A slender leg had kicked him right in his family jewel. He immediately fell to the ground, nearly crying like a baby. _

_"Damn you...bitch..." _

_Uzumaki Kushina brought down her leg, only to stomp it right at the same spot she kicked in again. Kazekage squeaked again. He looked her in the eye and couldn't even gulp. Her eyes looked darker and more fiery than before. There was fire in there he hadn't seen before. It used to be innocent, virgin eyes who had never seen horrors. But then, this happened... _

_"HOW DOES THAT FEEL YOU PERVERT? DON'T EVER TRY TOUCHING MY BOOBS AGAIN, YOU EYEBROW-LESS FREAK!"  
_

_She pushed down her foot harder to his precious part. This nearly made Minato wet his pants. His knees buckled together. _

_"T-T-T-This g-g-g-girl...W-W-W-Why h-h-h-her..." Minato mumbled nervously._

_Kushina swung her head around, noticing Minato. Minato nearly squeaked in fear. He was afraid the same thing would happen to him. Instead, her eyes seem gentler than before. She blinked. _

_"Ah, you're Mikoto-chan's friend! Namikaze, right?" Kushina asked, sounding more pleased than angry. Minato sighed in relief before chuckling. _

_"Yeah, but please, Minato's alright," He replied nervously. _

_Kushina immediately lifted up her foot and fixed her skirt. She looked down blushing in embarassment. _

_"Oh um, don't mind that guy. I'm sorry you had to see that. It wasn't very lady-like," Kushina chuckled cheerfully. _

_"O-o-oh, it's okay Kushina! I-I-I mean that guy's a total jerk so i-i-i-t's alright and-um, let's just get out of her, shall we?" Minato suggested, immediately grabbing her for arm and walking quickly away from Kazekage and his goons. Although she couldn't see him, Minato was blushing madly. What on earth was he doing? Everything got ruined! She just had to be a killer fighter who knew how to really hurt a man's weak spot. Why couldn't she just be the damsel in distress and let him be her savior? It would have saved so much time and trouble to actually get to know her. _

_**But she is pretty interesting.**..Minato thought in his mind._

_"Um, Minato, I think I can walk by myself." _

_Minato stopped and looked back. He saw that his hand was still holding onto Kushina's arm quite tightly. She smiled, trying to be bright and not so mad about it. He let go instantly. He wished his hair would grow a foot that instant to cover his blush grow even more brighter. He turned away. _

_"I-I-I'm sorry. I know you can, b-b-b-but I don't like seeing Kazekage going after g-g-girls like that. He does it a lot and well, you're the n-n-new girl but since you did a good job w-w-with him so..." _

_Kushina's laugh rang through his ears. He looked at the girl in utmost disbelief. He couldn't believe her. _

_"Hahahaha, you think I'm that stupid to not realize that? Mou, trying to be the new and innocent girl sure is pretty fun!" Kushina exclaimed with a bright smile. "It's funny. Everybody's been assuming I'm so nice and innocent so either they try to baby me or trick me into sleeping with them! You should have seen his face when I smacked him!" _

_She was laughing about it. He found this quite pleasant. He smiled back gently. "You are weird." _

_She shrugged it off, the two walking side by side. "Well, to be honest, I tried to be nice. At my old schools, I always had the urge to beat up the people who pissed me off. You see, the girls didn't like my red hair or the guys didn't like how I was so strong and tried to pick a fight with me. Well, not to brag, but when high school came, more guys tried to get on with me, so the more reasons to beat them up." _

_"Ahh it's okay to brag if it's true," Minato agreed. Kushina looked at him, a bit taken back by what he said. Minato realized what he had just said too. He shook his head, turning away from him. _

_"I-I mean, well, all the guys I've seen think you're really pretty! Nobody has that hair color in school, so it makes you r-r-really unique a-a-and-" _

_Kushina laughed again. "Man, you really don't talk to girls much, right?" _

_Minato nodded his head in embarassment. She patted him on the back, comforting him. _

_"It's okay. Mikoto-chan told me all about you, how you have a horrible time talking to girls, crush or not. She says it's cause you keep trying to avoid all the girls who love you and that they scare you. Guess she's a really good friend, eh? Or even more?" Kushina asked slyly. _

_Minato chuckled along. "I get that a lot. No, me and Miko-chan are practically best friends. Our pops work together so we had the same babysitter. I've known her longer than all the guys so she's like a little sister. Gotta defend her from all the jerks and perverts in school!" _

_"Or maybe big sister. She really wants you to get a girlfriend," Kushina said."You never had one, right?" _

_"N-N-No...Single all my life," Minato answered. "You?" _

_Kushina shook her head. "Boys are either jerks or wimpy." _

_"Which one do I fit in?" Minato asked curiously. He hoped it didn't let on than he wanted to.  
_

_"Wimpy." _

_There was a cold silence. _

_"You're mean." _

_"I'll be lying if I didn't. Besides, I really want some ramen right now. Like four bowls of it." _

_"What are you, obsessed with ramen?" _

_"Yep! Salt ramen is my favorite, than miso, then..." they would go with this until Kushina had reached her house, where they departed their goodbyes.  
_

"You guys talked about ramen?" Inoichi asked, his eyebrows wavering in annoyance.

Minato nodded his head, slightly embarassed.

"YOU AND KUSHI-CHAN TALKED ABOUT RAMEN AND STILL MANAGED TO WALK HER HOME? UNFAIR!"

"W-w-well, she brought it up first. It's her favorite food, actually. But that's not the point!"

"So what are you still panicky about then, Minato?" Shikaku questioned, leaning against a desk.

Minato's body was shaking a little bit. Everybody knew this was way out of his comfort zone. Girls were not Minato's forte. In fact, it was one of the worst things he could deal with in smallest things when courting the opposite sex could be a disaster to the Yellow Flash.

Minato took a huge gulp. "Well, we..."

* * *

"You guys are going out to eat ramen after school?" Mikoto exclaimed in shock as she shut her locker closed. Kushina nodded her head.

"Well, we were talking about ramen yesterday and food's the best way to get to know people. He seems like a nice guy, even though he looked like he was gonna wet his pants after he saw me beat up that Kazekage dude."

_Of course he would.._."But then, does that mean...it's a date?"

Kushina chuckled cheerfully. "No, no! I can see why you see it like that, but we just met really! I don't like guys who look constipated when I'm with them! But he seems like he could be a very good friend. One of the few boys here who treat me right."

Mikoto laughed along with her. "Minato-kun is really horrible talking to any girl, but he's always a gentleman to them."

"I can tell. Maybe cause he's so nice to every girl, he can't really get a girlfriend," Kushina added. "Maybe we should help him along the way."

"Ha! I've been doing that ever since freshman year. I think it's about time to let him on his own for that now," Mikoto smiled. Inside though, she was worried like a mother over a child. _Mou, why are they out on a date already? It's only been a day! Darn, Minato-kun's moving too quickly. This can't be Inoichi's advice, it's too good! If only I could spy-no, that's too cruel. You have to trust him. He wouldn't do anything yet to a girl. Unless he listened to Yamanaka-_

"Ah! I have an idea! Miko-chan, why don't you come with us to ramen! You're practically the only girl he can talk to so this could help! We can prepare him for his future girlfriends!" Kushina suggested eagerly.

Mikoto couldn't believe it. She was secretly punching her fist in the air inside. Now she wouldn't have to do any sneaking around. Kushina really did know how to save her from a lot of trouble. Mikoto hesitated to speak. She didn't want to seem too obvious. "A-Are you sure I wouldn't be intruding on your 'date?'" She asked slyly.

"Mikoto-chan, I've already told you! It's not a date!" Kushina argued back, smirking.

"Just testing. Guess it wouldn't hurt that much. Just be lunch with friends." _Yes! I can keep an eye on them! Oh Kushina-chan, you don't know how smart you are!_

* * *

"I can't believe your first date is having ramen..." Hiashi repeated, displeased with the idea.

"It's not a date!" Minato shot back nervously. "I-I-It's just hanging out and getting to know her!"

"That's a date." Chozu repeated. Minato banged his head against his desk.

"What am I going to do? I've never been on a date-"

"HA! You even admitted it's a date!" Hizashi hollered, pointing at him.

"Whatever, Hyuuga! I'm lost here! I've never been on a one-on-one hang out with a girl-"

"So naive, you call it 'one-on-one.'"

"Will you quit it, Hiashi? Guys, you gotta help me out here! Fugaku?"

"Don't look at me, Namikaze," Fugaku replied darkly.

"Hey, I let you go with Miko-chan yesterday and according to Jiraiya-san, you didn't return her til 9-"

"Ooh la la, Uchiha, what's going on here?" Hizashi asked with a smirk, throwing his arms around Fugaku's shoulders.

"Take your filth off, Hyuuga."

"Ooh cold. Bet it makes up for that huge soft spot for Chidori. Oh wait, that soft spot is only for nighttime right-"

Fugaku punched Hizashi to the ground. Everybody resumed to their original conversation.

"Anyway, take my advice, my yellow fellow," Inoichi suggested with a wink. Shikaku laughed.

"This is why you're gonna fail," Shikaku whispered evilly. Minato gulped, but nonetheless, continue to listen to Inoichi.

"Now, the next time you see her, you're gonna straight up tell her 'Babe, let's be real: you're into me, and I as well. Let's just forget the ramen and use it for something else, and it don't involve our mouths. But if you like it like that, I prefer we do it without that LBD on. Mine or yours?'"

Minato nearly fainted hearing that. "I CAN'T SAY THAT! THAT'S GROSS!"

"Grow a dick, Minato. How else are you gonna get her laid?"

"B-B-B-But, we j-j-just met. I don't want her to g-g-get the wrong idea..."

"Well, you gotta do it fast, man! You only got 3 months, and considering you, that's gonna take a miracle! You gotta act up, man! Girls are not that hard to talk to! It just requires confidence! Meet each other eye to eye, and then you got it!"

"But I c-c-can't do this alone..."

"Why sure you can! If you ever need backup, we just a text away! Even better, we could check you guys in secret and help you!"

Everybody agreed.

"We could, but I don't think we should be in large groups. Uzumaki would get suspicious and find it strange," Chozu explained. "I think only one should go."

Inoichi only laughed harder. "Ah, it's obvious who the best choice is! It's alright Minato, I've got your back-"

When the door opened, Inoichi's voice was interrupted by a familar, feminine one. Kushina and Mikoto had entered the room. Minato blushed slightly. She was looking right at him, smiling cheerfully. He wished he could look away, so she didn't see him embarassed, but she never quite smiled at him like that. God, he wanted to find out what it meant? Did she like him back? She said she wasn't into wimpy guys-why was he letting his crush get in the way?

"Ohayou, Minato, guess what? Mikoto-chan's coming with us-"

"FUGAKU'S COMING TO EAT RAMEN WITH US!" Minato screamed too loudly and quickly.

An eery feeling entered the classroom.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The walk to Ichiraku's after school was unusually awkward. At first, all four of them walked together, talking animatedly together (with the exception of Fugaku who merely followed with his hands shoved in his pockets). But as the situation began to sink into them, the group then separated between boys and girls. The girls walked rather fast, the boys thought. They were probably at least three feet ahead of the boys. Mikoto didn't even dare to look back at the boys. She was afraid at looking at him. After yesterday, talking with Fugaku, she didn't really want to look at him. It wasn't because she hated him or was scared of him. She bit her lips, clenching her schoolbag even more took a quick side glance at Fugaku. He seem quite at ease at the moment. She could tell that he and Minato were in a conversation. Fugaku was listening to everything he said. Mikoto couldn't make out what they were talking about. They had already parted from each other as they made their way to Ichiraku's. The second she saw Fugaku's eyes turn away from Minato, Mikoto immediately looked forward. She kept her head down, her bangs covering her face.

_Why are you so nervous?_ She thought to herself, feeling her face grow hot. _You've always been comfortable around him for years. Maybe it was listening to him talk about his parents' troubles that's making things awkward. You don't know how to be around him anymore, knowing he's caught between a troubling marriage and having hill tell you. But he's always been able to handle it, even if you didn't know! Mou, why am I acting like this? It's only Fugaku-_

"Miko-chan, I'm sure Uchiha-san isn't going to eat you," Kushina teased, breaking her friend's thoughts off.

"Ah, I'm sorry. It's just, well yesterday..."

"DID HE KISS YOU! EEK! I KNEW A PRETTY GIRL LIKE YOU COULD RELEASE HIS INNER TIGER!" Kushina squealed in delight. Mikoto's face instantly became a bright tomato.

"N-N-N-No! That's not gonna happen in a million years! I-I-I-It's j-j-just that yesterday, he was telling me some really personal stuff and well, it just made me see him differently..." Mikoto explained sympathetically. She stole a quick side glance at Fugaku before returning her attention to Kushina.

"Ohohoho...differently as in crushing on him?" Kushina suggested with a cunning grin. "Sure Uchiha-san's like a human ice block, but as a boy, he can't deny it when he's alone with a pretty girl like you, picking presents for his-"

"N-N-N-No way! He's M-Minato-kun's best friend! I would never see him like that and I-I-I'm sure he won't either! And b-b-because of that well-what about you? You suggested such a thing, so are you sure this wasn't meant to be a date?" Mikoto asked, trying to get back at her friend. Kushina could only laugh.

"I wouldn't ask my new best friend to tag along if it was a date, Miko-chan," Kushina replied simply. "But if you want that with Uchiha-san, I'll try to ask Minato how to set that up with you guys-"

"Don't Kushina-chan! It's nothing, really! I just haven't gotten over the fact that Fugaku would um, ever talk about such personal things to me, out of all people. I mean, I don't mind him talking to me, but it's so new with these personal topics..."

"You like him." That was all Kushina said.

Mikoto shook her head vigorously. She wanted to end this conversation. At the moment, she kinda wished she was a boy. Boys never talked about crushes (not that she was having one on Fugaku) like this. They just talk about dirty, emotionless stuff like sex, cars, sports, and other boy things.

* * *

"Duuuuuuddddeeee she's so into you!" Minato cackled evilly to Fugaku.

He was sure the girls couldn't hear them. It was so obvious what was going on between his two best friends. It was easy to catch Mikoto sneak glances back at the boys, if only to see Fugaku. Of course, Kushina had done the same with him as well, but only to affirm what was happening between their two friends. Fugaku had tried his best to ignore it, but Minato always caught him returning back Mikoto's. It was too cute.

"Aren't you one to talk. This is all your fault, getting me involved with your little date," Fugaku complained bitterly. He so did not want to be here right now. He didn't even like ramen.

"Hey, I told you this isn't a date!" Minato backfired, blushing slightly."Why else would I invite you?"

"Cause girls to you is intelligence to Yamanaka."

Minato couldn't help but silently agree with him at his loss. It was so true. Even all their friends knew. At least, according to Shikaku, he was able to make it up with his extreme athletic skills for his lack of skills with girls. It really was affecting his plans. Things always seem to be moving too quickly for this. Not only did he not know how to even ask Kushina out and get her into him, he had to commit an unforgivable act on her within 3 months.

The blond let out a huge, hopeless sigh. "Fugaku, I really need your help here. There's no one I can trust more to treat Miko-chan right for things like these."

Fugaku allowed his mind to translate what his friend meant. He remembered what their plan was. Of course, Minato promised not to do anything funny yet with Kushina today, but he did plan on getting alone time. They had discussed this over with the other boys during break.

_"Wait. You wanna leave **them** alone?" Hizashi repeated after hearing Minato's master plan (with the aid of the ever-so intelligent Nara Shikaku). Hizashi looked towards the Uchiha, slightly puzzled. "Are you sure it's wise to leave Uchiha with such a delicate girl like Chidori-san?"  
_

_Fugaku raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to me?"  
_

_"Well, you always do give off his killer aura..." Hiashi backed up, grinning. "Maybe you'll unleash it on her by accident. Oh wait, that'll be on the bed." _

_"I WOULD HAVE BEEN A GENTLEMAN TO MIKOTO-CHAN!" Inoichi wailed like a little child in the corner, depressed over the decision._

_"Stop whining, Yamanaka," Shikaku muttered. "You would screw this up before it even started." _

_"Either way, the both of us will have to separate with the girls," Minato explained. "It's more logical if me and Kushi-chan left him with Miko-chan instead of vice versa." _

_Shikaku continued on. "It would look extremely suspicious if we did the opposite; Uzumaki would think he's making a move on her, and we don't want to be too fast with this. By having her agree with Minato to 'matchmake' Uchiha and Chidori, they can bond over it and a relationship would easily develop." _

_"Hmmm, that is actually a pretty smart plan," Chozu complimented as he grab a handful of chips. _

_"Yeah, why didn't you think that BEFORE you used me as a beating dummy for Kazekage?" _

_"Oh get over it. At least you helped Minato get an actual conversation with her," Shikaku replied. "Uchiha, you in?" _

_Fugaku merely shrugged, knowing he could never get out of this. "I still don't understand why it should be me." _

_"YEAH WHY HIM? HOW COULD THE BEAUTIFUL CHIDORI MIKOTO EVER FALL FOR HIM?"_

_Minato let out a loud laugh. "Gimme a break! You guys practically went on a date last night-" _

_"Which you forced me to do."  
_

_"Oh so you don't deny it." _

_"Oh that's cute; the first known Uchiha to have feelings." _

_"Come over here Hyuuga so I can rip your mouth." _

_"Ooh touchy too, brother. It must be the Chidori Mikoto effect." _

_"Look face it, Fugaku," Minato stated, crossing his arms together. _

_"You think I didn't know about your parents' situation when I wanted you to ask for her help in anniversaries? You didn't have to ask her help with that; just keep her occupied. But you did it anyway. I knew it would be a matter of time before she realized something was wrong with you, eventually making you tell about it if you thought she was worth your time. School ended at 3:30 and according to both Jiraiya-san and Mrs. Chidori, you didn't return her til 9. Unless you guys were searching for fake anniversary presents for nearly 6 hours, I'm guessing you took that time to talk about some touchy subjects. Therefore, I can assume you see her as special to you and she does as well, calling you Fugaku now compared to yesterday's 'Uchiha.' With her getting more interested in you, you can steer Miko-chan away from Kushina-chan, leaving her to me." _

_All of their friends were in awe. Even Fugaku was quite in shock, his mouth mildly open. Minato was a lot more clever and planning than he appeared. _

_"Oohh Uchiha, he got you gooooodd..." Hiashi whispered humorously. _

_For once, Fugaku didn't say anything. He wasn't denying or admitting anything. But his gestures suggested that he was willing to help Minato, and that was all he needed. Shikaku nodded his head in confirmation. _

_"Alright, now our plan lays in the hands of that Uzumaki girl," he continued. "Minato, you contacted her about this yet?"_

_Minato flipped open his phone, searched through his contacts until he reached "Uzumaki Kushina." He smirked. "On my way."  
_

Minato always knew that despite his best friend's calm composure, Fugaku was not loving the idea at all. It wasn't like Fugaku was bad with girls; he just never really talked to them. Minato figured if his best friend could keep Mikoto occupied for a good 6 hours, then 2 hours was a done deal. He patted his friend on the back cheerfully.

"Now, now, Fugaku, you should be excited I let you hang with Miko-chan again," He teased. "It's a win-win situation!"

"That's assuming if you can take advantage of it," Fugaku replied, irritated. "If nothing gets going between you and the Uzumaki girl, then this would be a waste of time."

"Hey, don't worry! I already texted Kushina-chan and we decided to go to the bathrooms, leaving you guys alone. We'll watch you guys in secret for a little bit, then I'm going to ask her if she wants to head to the park," Minato explained. Fugaku couldn't help but think that was a rather good plan. Too good. He took in a huge sigh. He was wondering how on earth he got tangled in this.

In a couple of minutes, the four reached their destination. Ichiraku's was a small, traditional ramen bar. It was probably no larger than a backyard garden. Minato held a hand over the green flaps, smiling when he saw the owner.

"Konbanwa, Teuchi-jiichan!" Minato greeted cheerfully.

Teuchi glanced back, returning the same smile at the four. "Ada, if it isn't you guys, and a new friend I see! Minato, I was worried that you didn't visit last week at all!"

"Sorry, sorry, old man. Got caught up with track," Minato replied, as they all took their seats next to each other. Minato and Fugaku waited for the girls to sit together first, so they could surround them. Mikoto had a tiny hint of pink on her cheeks when she noticed Fugaku sat next to her. He seemed rather calm about it, as if it was natural. She twiddled with her fingers, curious why he sat next to her. But then, her eyebrows furrowed when she saw Minato next to Kushina.

_Oh no, he's going to take advantage of her after! Mou, that smart butt is trying to make this a double date!_ Mikoto thought, a bit embarassed.

"Chidori, are you sick? You don't look well," Fugaku asked, blinking.

Mikoto flustered a bit, smiling nervously. "Ahh n-n-no I'm fine, Fugaku-kun! Just um, the weather's been kinda hot don't you think?"

"Or maybe 'cause a certain someone's next to you," Kushina whispered under her breath. Minato laughed, catching her words.

"Kushina!" They didn't even eat yet and Mikoto already wanted to get out. But she couldn't leave her friend alone. Sure there was Fugaku, but he could be part of some evil plan as well. She had to be strong.

"Now, now, kids, what would you guys want?" The owner asked.

"SALT RAMEN, SIR! AND BE READY TO MAKE MORE! IT'S MY FAVORITE!" Kushina exclaimed with pride. Teuchi laughed.

"My, my, such an energetic girl! Could you possibly be Minato's new girlfriend?"

Minato squeaked, earning strange looks from Kushina. Fugaku let out a hollow laugh.

"His future fling," Fugaku muttered inaudibly. Unlike everybody else, Minato managed to hear it, immediately choking on his tea.

"Hey, hey, calm down, Minato! You sure you're up for some ramen?" Kushina asked in a worried tone before pouncing his back hard. Minato thought a bone just cracked from her strength.

"Eeeee I'm fine; the tea was pretty hot right?" Minato laughed nervously before sending a death glare to his friend on the other side. Fugaku returned it as well. The two could always have silent conversations through their glares.

_Idiot, don't reveal our plan,_ Minato's face tried to convey to Fugaku.

_You dragged me into this. I gotta have my own fun too_ Fugaku's face seem to say.

"Just miso ramen for me, please," Mikoto requested politely.

"The usual, jiichan!" Minato said, which the owner nodded with delight.

"Salt ramen, please," Fugaku added quietly. Kushina jaws dropped in awe.

"OOHH! WE ACTUALLY HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON, UCHIHA-SAN! WE SHOULD GO ON RAMEN ADVENTURES IN THE FUTURE!" Kushina suggested with sparkly eyes.

"I think you should do that with a certain blond idiot," Fugaku grumbled.

And so, the four ate their ramen peacefully, coupled with side conversations about various things. All of the them were surprised at the various amounts of ramen bowls Kushina would devour. It pleased the owner so much, he gave them a discount. Kushina turned out to be wonderful at conversations, never being able to keep quiet even when slurping on her noodles. The atmosphere was lively, almost as if there was no scheming around at all. Mikoto felt a sense of relief here. This was really genuine.

After Kushina finished her 9thth bowl, she took in a huge sigh. She was still eager for more. "Hey, Teuchi-ojiisan, can I have some-" She immediately paused when she saw Minato's face. He shook his head, then looked back between her and the other two. Kushina got the message. She laid down her chopsticks and stood up from her seat.

"Excuse me, I need to head to the bathroom," She excused herself before leaving the three.

Mikoto didn't mind. That was, until Minato also excused himself a few minutes later. Now it was only her and Fugaku. She was shaking a bit. Fugaku didn't notice. He was still concentrated on his ramen, eating quietly. It was only a couple of minutes. Minato and Kushina would return. It was just the bathroom. Then, Mikoto's eyes widen.

_Wait a sec! Minato-kun couldn't have-_

"So how was your day?"

Mikoto's thoughts were stopped from Fugaku's voice. It was a rare question from him. He didn't look at her. Even rarer, Fugaku never started conversations like this.

She stared at him dumbfounded, curious of his real motive. "Um, it was fine."

"Fine's not enough to describe something," Fugaku replied simply. He wanted her to say more things.

Now she was really confused. _He's one to talk about that. _

Fugaku was so gonna do something with Minato tomorrow. The minute he noticed Mikoto might have caught it, he said the stupidest thing to keep her attention away. Now, he had expected her to give him a very detailed description about her day which would have bored him to death, but out of all days, she just had to respond with "fine." It wouldn't be long before she could escape from him. He had to remember something about her, keep it going. God, this was all Minato's fault.

"You still do ballet, right?" He asked.

For a moment, Mikoto's eyes seem to light up. She gave him a small smile. "Y-Y-Yeah. I've been practicing for a long time. I don't really intend on stopping until college at least. What about it?"

There was another awkward silence. Fugaku always knew he was a quiet guy, but this was just terrible. How was he going to last an hour like this?

"Just curious. Um, what's it like? Ballet?"

Mikoto was still trying to find out why he was like this all of sudden. She was secretly hoping it was because he had a crush on her, but considering the fact that he was the Uchiha Fugaku, she highly doubted it. Nonetheless, she would explain. It would brighten her up.

"It's a lot of hard work and you really have to put in a lot of dedication to it. You can't just start anytime; iyou have to be young, when the bones are barely growing. It puts a lot of strain on my feet though. I nearly had to have surgery when I was 12 for it."

Fugaku nodded along. "What happened?" He actually sounded interested this time. Mikoto was starting to feel warm inside.

"That was when I was hardcore in ballet and I guess I overdid it myself then. Luckily, I ended up only in crutches for a month before returning. I'm not as into it as I was before, but I still think it's fun."

"Hmm. Always thought ballet was just show."

Mikoto laughed. "Are you kidding? It's probably tougher than football! I've been trying to convince Chozu-san and Inoichi-san to take a few ballet classes so they can improve in football. The footwork is great for football."

"And amusing to watch them in those outfits," Fugaku added, smirking. He actually did have a sense of humor.

Mikoto laughed along. It wouldn't take long for her to forget that her two friends were missing and really ditched would sit on that ramen bar, ignoring their bowl, for a good 3 hours.

* * *

"Man, it looks like things will go good between those two," Kushina said to Minato, once they reached the park. They had stayed long enough to hear an actual conversation going on between Mikoto and Fugaku before finally leaving them alone, so the magic could work for itself.

Minato nodded in agreement. "I thought we would have to stay longer and babysit them, but guess it's going well. Who knew Fugaku was smart enough to talk about ballet with her? That's like Miko-chan's second life!" The two found a pair of swings and took a seat on them. It reminded them of being little kids again.

"Really now? So are we expecting a relationship soon?" Kushina asked slyly, gripping onto the swing. She leaned in closer to him, hoping to hear the right answer.

Minato blushed. Kushina was closer to him than before. She couldn't be that type of girl. Even if she wanted to make things easier for him, he didn't feel right about it. "Oh, well, I-I-I don't know you really well and I mean, that really wasn't a date, e-e-even if it was just set up those two a-a-and-"

"I meant Miko-chan and Uchiha-san."

Crickets chirped. Minato blushed even harder. Kushina burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha oh my god, my stomach! It hurts so much! That's so funny! Ahahaha! Ahh Minato, I didn't know you wanted it like that!" Kushina teased. Minato looked away, finding the sand to be incredibly interesting. She gave him a reassuring pat on the back.

"Hey, I'm just kidding, Minato. I know you aren't like that. You're different from other guys."

Minato looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Like what?"

Kushina kicked off, swinging slightly as she looked towards the orange evening sky.

"I dunno. I mean, there's just something in you that stands out. Sure, you're the fastest guy in school according to everybody, but you seem very sweet. The perfect gentleman. Like, it would be impossible for you to be a jerk. Maybe that's why girls are into you. You're like every parent's dream boy for their daughter. But you don't go after them, cause you see all the girls as the same thing. Well, there's Miko-chan, but you guys are like siblings in my eye. You're the nice guy to the girls, but really shy. Maybe that's why you don't have a girlfriend."

Minato stared at her, wide eyed. Kushina had just figured him out after barely a day. Suddenly, his face grimaced. His shoulders hunched, not even able to face her. She thought he was like that. The nice guy. _If only she knew what I was planning to do with her..._

Kushina's stomach growled. She pouted. "Man, did we really have to leave them that early? Couldn't we wait until I had another bowl?"

Minato laughed. "If I let you have another bowl, there would be no end to it, fattie."

"Hey, just cause I accept the fact I eat too much does not mean you can call me that! Don't you know what girls would do to you if you said that?" Kushina threatened with an evil grin.

"No, but I'm curious, especially with this one," Minato smirked.

And so, the plan had gone successful. Minato would be able to easily talk with Kushina like any other person. She wasn't just a girl to him anymore. She really was someone he could talk to about anything. He also got to know her better too. Even if she was tough, stubborn, and loud for a girl, Kushina really was deep down an innocent and sweet girl. There couldn't be anybody who could hate her. He was trying to figure a way to hate her, but to his pleasure, he couldn't. The girl was just so lovable. She even made him forget about his bet with Kazekage every time he was with her.

Of course, forgetting about the bet didn't always mean it wouldn't make the progress even harder.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Today was a hot day. The heat was killing all the students dying in their desks, as if upcoming finals weren't enough. And Minato's class was lucky enough to have swimming during PE today. All the boys, dressed in their swim shorts, stretched and were overjoyed with the idea. All they had to do was wait for their instructor.

"Aaahhh, about time we got some splashes around!" Minato exclaimed cheerfully to his group of friends.

Inoichi was more than happy to agree. He was the only one out of the group wearing his speedo. All the boys tried their best to avert their attention away from down there. It just looked awkward. "No kidding! Always stuck in those stuffy classrooms! Plus, we can spot some cuties in their little itty bitty bikinis!" Drool was spilling from his mouth.

Shikaku sighed. "Don't you remember anything, Inoichi? They're separating the boys and girls after several peeking incidents at the girls last year."

"HUH? UNFAIR! WHICH IDIOT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT, BASTARDS?" Inoichi cried, pointing an accused finger at all the boys around them.

"Baka, that was you," Fugaku commented. Inoichi blushed lightly.

Minato merely laughed. "Now, now, it's alright Inoichi. It's moments like this where you learn how to respect a girl."

"Yeah, but don't you wish you could catch Kushi-chan in a tiny red hot bikini, eeeeehhhh Yellow Flash?" Inoichi teased as he grabbed his friend. Minato tried imagining it but when he got to the actual scene, his face went red like a tomato. He looked like he was going to faint. In fact, he could barely talk. It wasn't a surprise to anybody. Minato always did overreact with girls. Minato pulled away from Inoichi, walking away from them.

"I-I-I-I'm g-g-going to the b-b-bathroom really quick," Minato excused himself. He felt his face grow hot. This wasn't a sane reaction at all. He told himself to shake it out of his head. It's not like he actually saw her in a bikini. In fact, he never did recall seeing a girl his age in bikinis before. Not up close. He saw plenty of them when he was a kid, but he often ignored them. But now that he was a teenager, he felt awkward about it...

"Man, that guy," Inoichi said, looking at his friends. "It's been over a month and all he's done with Kushi-chan is talk and talk and talk. There isn't even a sign a relationship is going to come."

"Inoichi, let him be. You know him. He feels strange around girls," Shikaku retorted, crossing his arms. "Why else do you think he shields his eyes away from you when you show him porn magazines?"

Everybody agreed. Over a month had gone by. Minato managed to at least talk to Kushina every day now, but nothing else. Mikoto was always with her, and they found it extremely hard to get her alone with him. Hanging out with her was always with Mikoto. The ramen trip was the last time Minato was able to get alone with her. If they were to talk, it was either through the phone or with Mikoto's presence. That girl was Kushina's unofficial bodyguard.

"At this rate, Namikaze will end up broke," Hizashi added. "And that's not the end of it."

Chozu sighed. "That Minato, aren't we glad that the class separated into boys and girls?"

Hiashi nodded, smirking. "Who knows what would happen if he saw Uzumaki in a bikini?"

"Probably faint," Hizashi joked.

"Or if some miracle, his hormones will control him to do some little dirty work," His brother added with a grin. "As if that could happen."

"But it can."

All eyes were on Inoichi. There was a glint in his eyes that wasn't there before. It looked vile. He smirked.

"Look, it's been well over a month, and Minato's made no progress whatsoever. He may be naive and a gentleman, but if we put him and Kushi-chan in the perfect situation, we can change him into a real man," Inoichi stated.

"What the hell are you talking about, Yamanaka?" Fugaku grumbled.

He chuckled. All the boys gathered around him as they listened to him. The same thing, with the exception of Inoichi, traveled through their minds:

They could not believe they were going to go through with Inoichi's plan.

* * *

After a good hour, the swimming class was over for both parties. Kushina climbed up the pool, fresh from a good swim. She was adorned with a bright red bikini that complimented her hair. She pushed back her hair, squeezing out the excess water. She took a joyful sigh.

"Gaaah, that felt sooo good! Nothing beats a good swim in this heat!" Kushina exclaimed.

Following her up the ladder was Mikoto, wearing a simple navy one piece suit. She never did like revealing too much skin. It was only swim class anyway. Most of the other girls in their class wore bikinis, but Mikoto would rather not follow suit. She was perfectly content with hers.

"Ada, ada, Kushina-chan, you're a pretty good swimmer," Tsume commented as she rose from the pool as well. "Maybe the girls' team could use you next year."

Kushina laughed. "Oh stop, Tsume! I was just desperate for some cooling down!"

"Maybe it's good that she doesn't join; she'll probably make all the girls feel bad about themselves with that kind of body," Yoshino teased. "I'm surprised the guys on the other side haven't peeped on you yet."

Kushina blushed slightly. "Man, you guys sure are embarrassing!"

The four girls made their way to the locker room, showering and putting their clothes on. Swimming really was a good way to end a hot, school day. As everybody finished showering, they returned to their lockers, moisturizing their skin with fruit-scented lotion before putting on their clothes. Kushina however, frowned.

"What's wrong, Kushina?" Yoshino asked, curious to why her friend was behind everybody else.

Kushina smiled weakly at her. "Oh, it's nothing! I think I just misplaced my clothes somewhere!"

"It better not be those perverted boys sneaking in!" Tsume thought out loud as she threw a fist in the air. "They gonna pay if it really was them!"

"Now, now, Tsume-chan, those boys maybe perverted, but they know very well how to respect a girl," Mikoto comforted them. "It's probably just around here."

* * *

"Yamanaka, stop groping Uzumaki's clothes," Chozu demanded, growing uncomfortable next to his friend.

Inoichi was drooling as he rubbed her clothes next to him. "Can you imagine if it was actually her behind these clothes..."

"Stop fooling around, Inoichi! Remember, this is for Minato, not for your pleasure," Shikaku stated, still unhappy that they were actually going along with Inoichi's plan. After hearing it, they were rather shocked that it could work.

Inoichi chuckled evilly. "Hehehehe! Don't forget, this is my plan! I know how this works!"

Swimming class had just ended for the boys. All of them rinsed themselves, with the exception of Minato who stayed behind to help clean up, and got into their uniforms to be prepared beforehand. This was required for them and it had to go like this. Minato always liked to stay back and helped. They were going to take advantage of them. Chozu looked outside, the sight of Minato in his swim shorts in his view.

"He's still out there," Chozu informed them. Inoichi smirked.

"Alright! Now, time to find us some wimpy, shrimpy freshman."

* * *

Minato had just finished covering the pool with the black mats to keep it clean. He smiled, proud of himself. He enjoyed staying back after class to help out, even if people called him a teacher's pet for that. It didn't matter to him. It gave him a nice feeling that he actually could do something good other than track and field. He wiped the sweat away from his face. His blond hair was drenched wet despite remaining under the sun's ray. It would dry in time. For now, he would have to shower up for a cool down.

"Namikaze-sempai!" A voice called out.

A dark-haired boy in a PE uniform was running to him. He looked short for his age, probably a freshman. He stopped in front of Minato, breathing heavily from all the running. Minato smiled.

"Hey there! How was class, kid?" Minato asked in a friendly tone. He was always nice to the underclassmen, even when others weren't.

"It was good. Anyway, somebody sent me to hand you this note," The kids explained, handing him a folded note. Minato looked at it puzzled.

"Who gave this to you?"

The kid shrugged. "I dunno. He covered his face with a towel. Anyway, see you later, sempai!"

"Ah, you too!" Minato said before waving the kid goodbye. He opened the note and read the contents. The writing was messy, nearly impossible to read, yet Minato felt it was familiar to him. His eyes widened and his fingers started to shake.

_We have Uzumaki. Come to the equipment shaft if you don't want anything to happen to her._

Minato crumbled the note so that it shredded into pieces. He gritted his teeth and looked up to the sky. He should have known someone like Kazekage would break their pact. Clothes could wait. He had to go find Kushina first. Her safety mattered more now. He ran in a matter of minutes towards the equipment shaft, a tiny storage place to hold all the sports equipment. If one were to enter, they would only have a foot of free space.

He gulped. With such a small space, he didn't want to imagine what Kazekage was going to do to her. It was way too quiet in there. He hoped...no, it couldn't have happened. He didn't want anytime to imagine. He shut his eyes as he opened the latch. _Kushina-chan, whatever happens to you, I'm so sorry.._.

"KUSHINA!" He cried. Suddenly, he felt someone push him inside the shaft, and darkness circled around him. He grabbed onto whatever could stop him from the fall, something soft and foreign.

"What the hell?" He shouted. And then...

SLAP

"OW!" Minato whined, rubbing his cheeks.

"YOU PERVERT! HOW DARE YOU GROPE MY BOOBS! SURE THEY MAY BE NICE TO LOOK AT, BUT THAT'S ALL YOU GET TO DO, ASSHOLE TTEBANE!" Some screamed loudly in the shaft. It was very familiar, hyperactive voice. And then, Minato froze.

"KUSHINA?"

Recognizing the voice, Kushina's eyes widen. "Eh? Minato-kun? What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here? Did anything happen to you?" Minato asked her, extremely worried yet relieved that nothing had happened to her. His face grew hot, after realizing what he had just done to her. He wished they had more space apart, but he never realized how small this shaft was until he was inside with her. The school district really needed to invest their budget on sports.

"I got a note saying someone stole my clothes and told me to meet me here. I thought it was just Aiya-bitch and her minions but then someone shoved me in here and I got locked in," Kushina explained. "How did you get in here?"

"Umm...something similar to that..." Minato replied vaguely. _Damnit, why is this happening? And why does it feel so w-w-w-w-wet...Oh she better not be naked, not that I would mind but-ACK! ONLY INOICHI WOULD SAY THAT! It's dark, so maybe it won't be that bad. I mean, it's not I'm going to stare at her...  
_

"K-K-K-K-K-K-Kushina, y-y-y-y-you're w-w-w-w-wearing c-c-c-lothes r-r-r-right?"

"Well, it's just a bikini. I mean, it's not like I'm naked."

Minato wanted to break into pieces.

* * *

"MUHAHAHAHA! His hormones are definitely gonna explode at this rate!" Inoichi cackled. "Thank god we got weirdos like Aburame making listening devices!"

"Oh Yamanaka, so cruel," Hiashi sighed.

"Yet so clever," Hizashi finished.

"The cub will become a tiger today," Inoichi continued, his hands forming into a platform to rest his chin. They had moved to an empty classroom, equiped with headphones and a pair to listen in. So far, it was only the beginning, but it was sounding pretty good.

_Oh Minato, you may be the perfect gentleman and naive to girls, but hiding inside you is a tiger ready to pounce on Kushi-chan_, Inoichi thought. It was time for the next part.

* * *

"Minato-kun? Hey, what's wrong with you? You went all quiet all a sudden."

No words still escaped from Minato. It may be dark, but Kushina could feel his body shake close to her, as if freezing. She could also tell that he was not looking her, or even dared to, as she felt his spiky blond hair poke her face a few times. Sure he was horrible with girls, but until a month ago, he had grown accustomed to her. He never stuttered around her anymore and they were quiet comfortable with each other. So what was it...

_Don't look. Don't look. Don't look. DON'T LOOK BACK!_ Minato reminded himself over a thousand times. He stood as straight as he could, like a soldier, yet he was still shaking. Why on earth was she still in a bikini? Why did she even have to wear one? It could have been a simple one piece and he wouldn't have to worry about it much. A bikini was practically like lingerie to him. All he had to do was rip it off like a bra and panties and-

"NO!' Minato screamed, earning him strange looks from Kushina. He chuckled nervously.

"U-U-Um, trying to scream for help, hahahahaha..."

They heard a ring. Another one. It sounded like a phone. Minato tried to reach for wherever it was, careful not to get too close to Kushina. He felt the phone, reaching it. He placed it against his ear, gulping for whoever it was.

"So, yellow fellow, just getting started are we?" Minato knew this voice too well.

"INOICHI! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS FOR? FORGET IT, GET US OUT OF HERE! FAST!"

"Hey don't worry. I'll get you out...after you're done doing her!" Inoichi laughed through the phone. Minato was about to argue, but he stopped himself to listen to his friend. "Look here, we can leave you in there for days. We snatched the keys and the master one from the janitor, inserted spy listening devices we stole from that weird glassy kids to make sure you actually did it, and this is a one-time use cellphone, so you have only five minutes with me."

"INOICHI! PLEASE! I-I-I-I-I CAN'T DO THIS!"

Inoichi sighed deeply. This boy really couldn't do this on his own. Guess he it wouldn't harm him.

"Fine Minato..."

"Thank you, Inoichi! You don't know how much it means to me-"

"Start by cupping her mouth, kiss it, then tongue it like it's a cherry stem. After a good five minutes of that, move slowly down her neck. The more she moans your name, keep going down until you're reading to rip off that red hot bikini and you can insert your gun-"

"INOICHI!" Minato cried. His face burned in complete embarrassment. He couldn't believe he was actually agreeing with Inoichi for a moment. Inoichi only laughed.

"See? The secret is to take it slow, so you don't catch her off guard."

"INOICHI I'M BEGGING YOU! LET US OUT! NOW!"

"Why? I'm helping your bet with Kazekage. The faster, the better. I mean, let's not forget you might not be the only one getting turned on at the moment. You _are_ a very handsome man and half-naked. You'll be lucky if Kushi-chan turns out to be that kind of girl."

The phone went dead. Minato wanted to faint but couldn't. He didn't know how long he could last with Kushina like this. She was in a bikini for heaven's sakes! Why couldn't this be like medieval times when it was forbidden to wear such things? He was scared. Scared that he would actually end up doing it to her. Even if he made that stupid bet, he didn't realize that he would actually have to do it. Maybe he should have listened to Inoichi and just get over with it. But Kushina wasn't just any girl. At least, to him she wasn't. He was comfortable around her. He could talk to her. And she was one of the sweetest yet active girl he met.

"Okay Minato, cut it out. I don't care if we're locked in here. You better explain to me why you're acting so weird!" Kushina demanded, forcefully turning him around so that they faced each other. Minato blushed even harder. Despite how dark it was, he could clearly see the outline of her face and violet eyes, piercing through his soul. He gulped, trying his best to look away but couldn't. There was just something about Kushina's face that made it impossible to look away.

"N-N-N-Nothing's wrong. J-J-Just scared of the d-d-d-dark."

"Cut that crap, Minato-kun! When it comes to girls, there's a line between gentleman and just plain crazy! How else are you going to get a girlfriend at this rate if your scared to even be close to one in a freaking bikini! How are you going to let other girls be with you!"

And then, Minato couldn't hold it in anymore. He just couldn't.

"Because I' don't want other girls! I really like you, Kushina-chan! I want you, but I'm scared that I'm going to end up doing something stupid and disgraceful to you! It's moments like these when I'm scared I might take advantage of you! I don't want to be guys like Kazekage or Inoichi or those rapists on TV. Sure it's only a month, but you mean too much to me! T-T-That's why, I wish I was..."

"Shut up."

Minato looked at her in disbelief. All of sudden, he felt her soft lips on his. His face wasn't as hot anymore. It was warm, the perfect temperature. The kiss wasn't anything major. Not too hard, not too gentle. Just like he imagined his first time, or maybe even better. Was this really happening? He slowly let go of his thoughts, only going with what he wanted at the moment. His body went loose, his arms surrounding Kushina into a soft embrace, still keeping their lips to each other. To his dismay, she let go only a second later, returning a big smile.

"K-K-Kushina..." He felt her cheeks press against his chest.

"I'm glad I can trust you."

* * *

"AWWWWWWWW THAT'S SOOOOOOO CCCCUUUUTTTTEEE!" Inoichi squealed, rivaling a fangirl watching dramas. "NOW MOVE ON TO THE SEX, TIGER-HEY! GIMME BACK MY HEADPHONES!"

Shikaku had snatched Inoichi's headphones right from his blond head. He yanked out all the plugs and threw it outside the window. Inoichi looked like he was going to die.

"Tch. So troublesome, meddling with other people's private moments," Shikaku complained. "You know they're not going to go that far yet. It's amazing that your plan somehow worked-"

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? IF IT STOPS THERE, THAN IT'S A HANDS DOWN FAILURE!"

Chozu sighed. "But still, yours managed to get Minato his first kiss! I feel bad for intruding on such a tender moment, but we can trust him not to go that far." Everybody agreed. Out of all the plans that they could come up with so far, Inoichi had been the most successful one with actual results. They didn't know what was more surprising; Minato actually getting his first kiss in a shaft or that Inoichi was able to come up with a clever plan.

"Especially if Chidori-san butts in," Hiashi added.

"Speaking of her, where is she?" Hizashi asked.

And then, they all dawned on the same thought. Every single pair of eyes in the room widened. An uncontrolled discussion exploded among the boys.

"Shit! I-I-I-If Miko-chan found out about this kiss-"

"Or the possible relationship-"

"WE'RE SCREWED!"

"WE GOTTA MAKE SURE THEIR COMMUNICATION IS LIMITED!"

"BUT HOW? THEY'RE ALWAYS TOGETHER, CHIDORI AND UZUMAKI!"

"AND WILL STILL BE IF WE'RE KEEPING THIS A SECRET!"

"There's only one way..."

Everybody looked towards the one and only Fugaku, who sitting by the table all by himself, was quietly eating rice crackers. He flinched a little, uncomfortable with everybody staring at him intensely. There was no choice.

"Crap."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

A tiny calendar was clipped inside Mikoto's locker. She marked off yet another day with an "X." It was only less than two months when school would be finished. _Along with that stupid deal.._.she mentally thought as she put away her books and took out some papers. Seriously, boys were so stupid and immature at this age. Sex with girls was not something to play around with. Besides, how could Minato even think about doing it? He was probably admitting himself to peer pressure, especially hanging out with the likes of Inoichi and Hyuuga twins. She sighed to herself. She always wished Minato would remain the innocent child he was. Minato, no all the boys, even Inoichi himself, should be smarter than this. Or at least, have a brain for it.

As a matter of fact, Mikoto never recalled Kushina returning to the locker room after searching for clothes. Or Minato.

She immediately panicked. _Oh no! What if something happened to her? Darnit, he wouldn't dare do anything to her! He's too chicken! But Kushina didn't seem that interested in him. I mean, she's so expressive herself. Why else would she keep her crush a secret. No just stop thinking about this! Believe that Minato would grow a conscience at least and trust that Kushina is all about girl power-_

"Do you think Namikaze-sempai and that new girl would make a cute couple?" Mikoto heard a few freshman girls gossiped.

"Oh Em Gee! That's like the perfect prom king and queen!"

Mikoto wanted to throw a book at them. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. It's not like they're really in a relationship, let alone like each other in the beginning. In fact, she couldn't think about this right now. She had to worry about that ballet recital. She taught ballet to little kids in her spare time and it was the first time showcasing her students. She had to worry about them now. She rushed down the hallway, texting Kushina she couldn't walk with her today and strided her way to the theater.

* * *

"We're in some deep shit here, men," Shikaku stated plainly.

Everybody nodded grimly. The worst, obviously, was Minato. After enduring what at first was endless teasing, wolf whistles, and sex theories, Minato had remained curled up like a ball within his tiny chair. He was in complete bliss after that incident with Kushina just a while ago. He always hopelessly thought Kushina would never see him like that. But he guessed he was different to her, as she once stated at the park. She trusted him. And that made Minato angry at himself even more. He wished that moment lasted forever. Even better, he wished he never made that bet with Kazekage. But in the end, even if it didn't seem like it, Minato tried to tell himself it was for her own good. Sure, he was going to lose her and his best friend Mikoto as a sacrifice, but at least they would be safe.

Minato sighed. "Guys, I'm not sure if I want to go through with this plan. I-I-I don't want to ruin things with Kushina. S-S-She was even okay that we don't call it a relationship yet, to take it slow."

"BAKA!" Inochi yelled as he grabbed Minato by the collar of his shirt. "When a man makes a promise, he keeps that promise! Especially when it involves getting dirty-"

"Shut up, Yamanaka," Shikaku complained. "But he's got a point. You know what's going to happen if you don't go through with this. Do we need to remind you that your money and humiliation aren't the only things you're risking? You're not as selfish as you think, Minato."

Shikaku was right. Minato wanted to punch himself in the face. He was just thinking of the consequences of breaking that bet just seconds ago and he was more than ready to get out of it. "I know..."

"It's alright, Namikaze," Hiashi tried to reassure him. "The guilt gets to you, ya know? Having to lie to those girls. Wouldn't be a lot easier if we just told them the real purpose? They'll probably understand."

Shikaku had a stern, dark look on his face.

"No. that's forbidden, hands down. It's crazy enough that Mikoto knows about it and a miracle she hasn't told Uzumaki, but we cannot tell her more. It's better if she just assumes Minato's became a total asshole, doing this just to save his money, and wishes to be like Inoichi."

"HEY WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT?" Inoichi shot back angrily.

"You know what I mean, Yamanaka. We have to protect girls, even if it ends up breaking their hearts. That's a job only men should handle. Women don't deserve to go through that."

The message sunk in deep within everybody. Shikaku was always good with these kinds of speeches. He was the real gentleman, the one that stood out all of them. And he knew just how to get the boys back in track. reminding them of their real goal and reasons for their impulsive actions.

"Now, what the hell are we going to do?" Hizashi asked loudly to no one in particular. "How is Uchiha going to sway Chidori away so that we can get Uzumaki and Minato some more alone time?"

Fugaku crumbled the rice cracker in his hands. "Why does it always have to be me?"

And for the first time since their little meeting started, Minato's face lit up in excitement. "I got it!" He shuffled through his backpack to the world's end before withdrawing a skinny slip. It was plain yellow, attached to a black string. It had "STAGE PASS" written over in big, bold words. He slammed it against Fugaku's chest, catching him off guard.

"Oi, Minato, what the hell-"

"Don't worry, Fugaku. It's not that kind of date."

With the exception of Fugaku, a devious grin spread throughout the room. The thrill between Minato and Kushina could take a hold for now. Mikoto was a key part to this mission. It was Fugaku's turn now.

* * *

"Now hold still, Rin-chan. I need to tidy up your ribbons a bit."

"Mikoto-sensei, I'm nervous! I don't know if I can do this!" Rin, cladded in her ballet tutu, exclaimed shakily. Mikoto smiled calmly.

"Everything will be alright."

"Mikoto-sensei, there's so many people here!"

"Sensei, Asuma-kun stole my ribbons!"

"Shut up, Kurenai! You're the one that dragged me into this ballet thing!"

"It's cause he likes you."

"KAKASHI-KUN! I SHALL CHALLENGE YOU TO A CONTEST! IF YOU CAN DO MORE SPINS THAN ME, I SHALL RUN AROUND THE CITY 200 TIMES!"

"Gai-kun, please calm down. You're ruining your handsome soldier costume," Mikoto pleaded.

Little kids were so hard to handle, especially the boys. Their parents, or girls, probably forced them into this but the least she could get from them was some help. It was times like these when she could use Minato. Using during her ballet classes, he would stop by to help out, sometimes convincing the boys that ballet was not a stupid dance for girls. It helped prepared them for sports in the future. He would tell them stories of how he took ballet as a kid and how it helped him in his training for track and field. That always fired up the boys more into ballet. Months ago, when preparations were made, he even promised to help out tonight. Ever since that little bet, they rarely talked. She doubted he would come. She could always handle on her own, but it was always nice to get a few hands with her.

"Kakashi-kun, put down that book! We only got 15 minutes before it's our class and you're still not in costume!" Mikoto started to panick. Sweat was dripping down her forehead and the recital hadn't even started.

"Asuma, gimme back my ribbon!'

"Hehehe, try to catch out, you weirdo eye-Huh?" The tiny Asuma looked up to see the ribbon snatched from his hands. A tall, dark-haired figure stood before him. Asuma gasped and quickly hid behind Mikoto.

"What's wrong, Asuma-kun?" She asked before looking towards where he pointed. Her eyes widened. "F-F-F-Fugaku-kun?"

Fugaku nodded his head to acknowledge her. He leaned down to Kurenai's level, handing back her red ribbon. She blushed slightly. "T-T-Thank you, sir."

"Ne, ne, Mikoto-sensei, is that your boyfriend?" Kakashi asked, tugging onto her.

"NO! H-H-H-H-He's j-j-j-just a f-f-friend and-" _Eh? Where did he get that stage pass? _

Fugaku sighed. "You and Minato are more alike than I thought." _Seriously, they stutter like crazy._

He observed the area, cluttered with tiny little kids. He never really liked kids. In fact, he tried to avoid them as much as he could. Either they were too attracted to him and just scared of him. Mikoto sure had hands full. No wonder she had asked Minato to ask. He wasn't sure why Minato suggested he do this. Fugaku could have sworn that all the boys were going to force him to do something "romantic" and un-Uchiha of him with Mikoto but instead, it turned out to be this. Fugaku was a bit more relieved about this. It was more natural than some stupid, forced dinner date.

"So. Anything you need me to do?"

Mikoto didn't even have time to register why and how great it felt for him to be here, maybe even better than Minato. "Y-Y-Y-Yes, um-since you don't know much here, um, I guess you could make sure the b-b-boys don't fight for now. A-A-And d-d-double check if their costumes are fitted, keep them a-a-away from the weapons for now, then c-c-check if the other class is finished." _Oh my god, Mikoto, straighten up! It's just Fugaku! Why do you keep acting like this around him now? _

Fugaku nodded obediently. Before he headed over to the boys, he looked towards Mikoto, leaning in. She blushed. What was he going to do? Their faces were so close, their breaths mingling barely.

"Chidori..." He whispered softly. God, that would sound so much better if it was her actual name.

"It'll be alright."

He headed towards the group of boys, leaving her shocked. She stopped panicking. Her worries disappeared. Her shoulders relaxed a bit. A content expression invaded her face. Her eyes had yet to leave Fugaku, even though he was too occupied with the boys. Her body moved on its own, making her fingers crawl up to her lips. _Just now...why did I think he was going to... _

"Oi Chidori! Mai-sensei's class are on their last number! Get your class ready and positioned in 10!" The stage director instructed, cutting Mikoto away from her thoughts.

"Hai!" She nodded vigorously. She quickly fixed all the girls' hair and dresses while Fugaku helped the boys with their costumes and warm up. In a few minutes, all of her students scrambled the stage, nervous yet excited for their big moment. The lights lit up and the classical music was born into the stage. Mikoto and Fugaku watched the performance from the sidelines. Even though this was her first one, she didn't feel that nervous at all about this. In fact, she was way to calm. Sure, she could spot the tiny mistakes the kids were making, but it didn't matter to her at the moment.

_W-W-Why is he here?_ She glanced at him, her bangs hiding her eyes. He didn't seem to notice. He was looking at the performance, not bored, but extremely calm. She figured that he had gotten the stage pass from Minato, but why would he ask for it?

After the performance was over, the audience stood up and clapped. Mikoto congratulated all of her students for their amazing performance before they all left the theater. Fugaku was kind enough to help her clean up and return everything to the studio. It was large and clean, with two bars running parallel to each other on the walls. She opened a closet, trying to reach the top shelf to put the costumes away. It was far too high. Before she could look for a stool, she felt all the costumes in her hand lifted away from her. Fugaku grabbed them all and reached the top shelf, placing them away. Mikoto blushed for the millionth time today. Her back was pressed against his chest for the slightest moment. He slowly stepped back as she turned around.

"T-T-Thank you, Fugaku-kun, for everything today," She said softly. He only nodded. Mikoto wished he would talk more, like their time eating ramen. She had to do something about this.

"Ano, what did you think about the recital? I mean, you don't look like the type to be into this kind of stuff, so..."A few seconds passed by. She was waiting too long for a response.

Fugaku hesitated to speak. "Those kids were very good. I think they had a very good teacher."

Embarassed, Mikoto laughed. "Ada, you really know how to compliment people, Fugaku-kun. But really, it's just a beginner's class. How did you manage to control those loud boys?"

"I made them sit in a circle with me."

Mikoto could only stare. I guess he does have the scary face sometimes...

"I saw a beginner's. What does a master ballet dancer know?" Fugaku asked. He actually sounded curious. Mikoto smiled.

"Well, there's the _en pointe_, tipping on your toes? But they're not going to do it for a very long time. They're still too young for it."

"Why is that?"

"If you start too early, your bones won't fully develop and might deform. I'm not allowed to teach them _en pointe_," She explained, attempting one herself. Fugaku watched carefully, wondering how painful it was just to stand on her toes. He saw that despite only being in casual flats, she was doing rather well. She was even walking on the tip of her toes with such ease and grace. She swung around, smiling at him.

"En pointe isn't as easy as people think. Guys think it's just something for girlies and too easy for them but I'm sure once they master it, they'll be so much better in sports. Maybe you'll be better at kenjutsu if I give you some lessons," Mikoto teased. Fugaku smirked.

"Hn. I'm sure Yamanaka would enjoy it more than I do."

Mikoto chuckled before she found herself losing balance. She could never last long en point on her patent flats. She gasped and reached for the only thing next to her to prevent her fall. Fugaku immediately caught her, stopping the fall. She looked up to him in relief.

"Ah, thank you, Fuga..." She stopped herself, her eyes widen. They were closer than before. Her hands placed delicately on his shoulders, gripping them tight. His arms were around her waist, as if scooping her up towards his face. She stared deeply at him. His eyes never wavered. They were so calm. She never realized how dark his eyes were until she saw them this close. Her face grew hot. Their nose were barely touching. Her breathing seem to stop. The two frozen in the moment. She looked away from his eyes and turned his attention to his lips. They looked a little chapped, but so close to her. She felt her lids grow heavy and for moment, felt Fugaku lean in closer to her.

"I'll take you home."

That was all he said before he helped Mikoto stand up. She nodded her head, smoothing out her dress. He turned his back to him, making his way outside the studio. She stood there for a little longer, only staring at his back. She touched his lips, shocked at her own realization.

_Oh dear, I can't be..._

She couldn't deny it anymore. She had wanted him to kiss her. She had wanted him to say things that would make her heart stop.

She was falling for Uchiha Fugaku.

* * *

"AAAAAACCCCCCKKKKKK! THAT STUPID ICE CUBE! WHY DIDN'T HE KISS HER! IT WAS THE PERFECT, MOVIE OPPURTUNITY!" Inoichi cried as he watched the scene unfold before him on a big screen TV. He munched on more popcorn before Minato snatched the bowl away from him.

"What do you expect? He's an Uchiha," Minato grumbled between chewing the popcorn. He handed the bowl down to Chozu, who took two handfuls before stuffing them in his mouth.

"Sou ya! Sou ya! But did she see the way she was looking at him? She's definitely into him!" Chozu exclaimed. Before he could devour the bowl, Hiashi and Hizashi went for it, munching it down.

"Ehh, but Chidori's pretty cute doing ballet," Hiashi commented.

"Yeah, and that performance was pretty good," Hizashi continued.

Shikaku sighed before unhooking all the wires from the TV to the computer. To everybody's amazement, Minato had secretly inserted a tiny camera device (courtesy of the weirdo Aburame) inside the STAGE PASS in order for them to spy on the "date" moment. Not even Fugaku knew. Soon, they were rushing back to Shikaku's house, who was always equipped with everything, to watch their little moment. Why go to parties to get drunk when they could spy on their friend's date through a big screen TV on a Friday Night? ("God we're miserable people," Shikaku once commented). They had seen everything, from Mikoto's panicking with the kids to her calm state after Fugaku's arrival. Sure, it was definitely invading their privacy, but they had to make sure.

"All right men, we're almost at the final stage. After today Minato, be prepared for nonexistent alone time with Uzumaki. I'm going to assume that after the recital, Chidori's going to have more free time on her hand and will do anything with Uzumaki from now on."

"At least we got the secret weapon for that!" Inoichi joked while chugging down the fruit punch.

"We gotta find the perfect time to get these two alone," Shikaku started again. "School is the only way you got her by yourself, but that's not enough. Weekends would only mean Chidori tagging along. Even if you did bring Uchiha for another lame double date, she'll realize it and won't leave Kushina at all."

"Man, Chidori sure is a pest in this plan," Chozu complained. Everybody nodded in agreement.

"But what about Kushina? I mean, say I do get alone with her and the chance comes. What if she refuses?" Minato asked, secretly hoping they would just drop this bet.

"Why would she refuse _you_? You're the Yellow Flash! If you can run fast, you can sure handle her fast, drive that thing through her-"

"INOICHI I DON'T WANNA HEAR ANYMORE!" Minato cried, clasping his hands to his ears. He could never get used to his friend's sudden sex speeches.

"Look, Minato, it's up to you what to do when the time comes. For now, we need to find a way to get you alone with her again," Shikaku replied, trying to comfort his friend.

Everybody was hard at work thinking through. Minato wished he could contribute more to this instead of his friends. His past plans have been a complete failure and looking back, incredibly silly and stupid of him. He couldn't believe the friends he had. They were doing everything and spending so much time helping him out. He smiled inwardly, pleased to have such great friends.

Inoichi had a wide smile across his face. "Guys, I got it-"

"NO!" Everybody screamed. One of Inoichi's plans was enough for them.

He pouted. "I'm serious! Minato, I'm not going to force you into a box this time, although I'm sure it would be better, but anyway, I got the perfect situation to set you guys up!"

And so, he recited them his master plan with such excitement, gaining everybody's utmost attention.

Another miracle happened in one day: They were going with Inoichi's plan. _Again._


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Update: Hey guys! So sorry that it's been nearly 2 weeks since the last chapter. I've been busy like crazy with schoolwork, tennis, yearbook, work, and SAT classes even when school hasnt even started! I've been lacking time, especially since school is coming so close. I wanted to finish this before school starts, but i think thats unlikely. It bums me, cause there's only a few chapters left before this ends, maybe like 3-5. But yeah. In the future, don't be surprised if I don't update as fast as usual. School is so stressful in junior year, everybody says. But I'm going to try my best. Please forgive me if it doesn't come on time. Thank you! Enjoy this chappie!

* * *

The last month before school would end had been one of the most amazing times in Minato's life. For the 100 meter dash, He had placed 2nd in Nationals, too content that he had already made it that far. His grades were the highest he had ever seen and doubted the finals could crush him now. The only thing better was Kushina. After that kiss, Minato was always smiling brightly at the sight of her and even though they hadn't done much except small kisses since then, he was perfectly happy with it. They could talk forever now, even when Mikoto was there. Of course, he had told his best friend of the kiss, much to her horror. Minato knew he should be the one to tell her; better from him than Kushina. He had promised Mikoto that no relationship was taking place anytime and he expected her to take advantage of that. Mikoto never mentioned the kiss again with those two nor teased them about dating. But it didn't matter to Minato. As long as he got some time with Kushina, even if Mikoto had to butt in all the time, he was perfectly happy about it.

Now that he was remembering this, he realized he hadn't really been talking to Mikoto much at all. Not since she overheard the bet she was never supposed to hear. They used to walk home together along with the rest of their friends. They would often switch places, house to house, on where to eat dinner with Jiraiya. He kinda missed her presence. He missed it when she looked out for him like he was her brother. And then, Kushina came into the picture. She wasn't a bad thing. She was the best thing so far that ever happened to him.

And Kushina was so understanding about all of this. She knew him well enough that girls weren't his forte and told him to take his time, try to talk with Mikoto for help. She was so sweet.

And naive. One week before he could be done with Kazekage's bet. He looked at himself in the mirror. Blond hair, blue eyes, a smile that said "what a charming, nice man." Minato wanted to puke at himself. How could he still go through this bet? It would ruin things between Kushina and him, especially when things were going better than expected. He looked at himself, tidying his clothes up. He was wearing a simple, black button shirt cladded with dark fitted jeans. He still wore his dirty, old track shoes everywhere he went, not caring what people thought about it. He looked at the clock: 7:57. He should head over to Mikoto's now. He grabbed a blazer from his closet, his keys from the coffee stand, and started running down the stairs.

"Jiraiya! Imma head out now! Tell my parents I'm bunking over Yamanaka's for the night! And Uchiha's gonna take Miko-chan home around midnight, so please don't go off to some stripper club until then!" Minato called out with a grin before shutting the door behind him.

Minato put on his blazer around him. It fitted him nicely and made him more put together than before. He walked over to Mikoto's house, next to his, and knocked on the door.

* * *

"Damn girl, Uchiha-san won't be an ice cube after he sees you in this!" Kushina teased as she watched her friend stand by the mirror.

Mikoto fidgeted with the hem of her dress, blushing from Kushina's comments. "Y-Y-You think so?" She was a bit nervous. Kushina knew the whole story at the recital. Mikoto had told her everything, from him helping her out to their almost kiss that was nearly impossible for Fugaku. Despite enduring endless teasing, Mikoto knew her friend was only looking out for her, trying to cheer her up. She dark-haired girl looked at herself in the mirror. She had kept her hair straight and the same as always, doing nothing with it. She wore a strappy, bright red dress that flowed to her mid thigh. It was shorter than Mikoto wished for but Kushina begged her to wear it. She coupled it with nude heels, the force behind all her tripping. Flats were a no-no, according to Kushina. She had to embrace it. Mikoto never realized that despite being nearly a tough, hyperactive tomboy, she was quite fashionable.

Kushina could not stop gushing over her friend's outfit. "Oh my god, I'm so proud of you Miko-chan! Just you wait! Tomorrow morning, the whole school will be calling you 'Fugoko.'"

Mikoto had a disgusted look. "Couldn't you think of anything better? I mean, 'Kushinato' sounds a lot more interesting."

"Eh? Is that what the freshmen are calling us? I don't like it," Kushina complained. She sipped her soda, careful not to spill it on her dress. It was orange, strapless dress that fitted accordingly to her curves. She paired her outfit with strappy golden heels. Mikoto thought her friend looked amazing, like a goddess in her dress.

"Where do you think the boys are taking us? Telling us to get dressed nicely," Mikoto wondered as she continued to fix her dress.

Kushina shrugged. "Minato-kun said Yamanaka-san was planning it out. We thought it was just going to be a party at his house but guessed he changed the plans."

"Really now..." Mikoto said before she heard a knock on the door. The two girls climbed down the stairs, opening the front door. Minato stood there, looking handsomer tonight, with a cheeky smile.

"You girls ready-" Minato paused himself, taking a look a Kushina. She looked stunning. His mouth parted slightly. He had to stop himself before he started drooling. It just had to be tonight.

Mikoto noticed this, letting out a loud cough. She gave him the "say something about her damnit" look. Minato got it and nodded.

"Um, Kushina, y-y-you look...orange."

Mikoto wanted to slap him. Fortunately, Kushina only laughed at him. "Oh Minato-kun, no one can do it like you do."

Minato chuckled nervously, still feeling bad for not thinking about anything better to say. He glanced at Mikoto, noticing she looked prettier today in her dress. She was showing too much skin for his liking. He had to remind himself to force her into his blazer. There was no way he was going to let the boys, especially Yamanaka, see her in _that_ tonight. He motioned the girls to the car and they got in. Minato drove them all down the street, reading the directions Inoichi sent to him. It was an unfamiliar area. Minato had never driven around there before, but nonetheless, followed anyway.

He would soon realize why it was so new to him. Inoichi had sent him directly to a club. Minato was about to drive out of the curve, fearing the safety of girls on the dancefloor, before Inoichi's arm landed on top of his car. Dressed casually in simple jeans and a long-sleeved collared shirt, he grinned cheesily.

"Oi Minato, you're late! I expected you like 30 minutes ago!" Inoichi complained cheerfully, sipping his drink.

"Inoichi, what the hell is this? I thought we were g-g-going-nevermind, the girls can't hang here!" Minato shot back, not even daring to look at the girls. There was no way in hell that the girls could go here. He didn't know what was worse; His best friend Mikoto the target of a bunch of guys or getting himself turned on with his crush Kushina.

Inoichi, to no surprised, ignored his plea. "Aww please, Minato, they can have a little fun! I mean, we can always defend them. Right, girls?"

Kushina and Mikoto exchanged uncertain glances, but they agreed anyway. All of them exited the car and entered the club. The club was loud, big, and noisy. A mixture of cool blue and purple lights flew across the room, spying on its next prey. Minato had never seen a situation like this and wished he wanted out already. All the boys and girls were supposedly dancing, but he could easily spot most of them grinding each other. Here and there were random kids dancing on the tables and girls wearing mini dresses that were pretty mini themselves. The music blared with hot dance music, ones always on the radio. Minato gulped. He wasn't sure about this. Inoichi's arm flew over him, attempting to comfort him.

"Easy there. yellow fellow! We got all night, so take you time, tiger," He jeered, chucking down the last of his drink.

"T-T-That's not alcohol, r-r-right?" Minato asked hesitantly. Inoichi shook his head.

"There's bound to be some booze here, but trust that the girls are smart enough not to take a drink from anybody. Feel the club brotha, and maybe ditch it after a good warm up to get some, ya know what I mean?" Inoichi winked, before leaving Minato after spotting a couple of dancing girls. Minato sighed. He had long lost Mikoto and Kushina, who had left him for Tsume and Yoshino. The four were probably sitting on a table. They weren't the type of people to randomly start dancing with strangers. His eyes wandered around, smirking when he saw his boys lounging around the bar, sipping soda and water. Shikaku was the first to speak.

"You're looking pretty daper."

Minato only smirked. "Thought clubs were too troublesome for you, lazy ass."

"Well, anything for you, Namikaze," Shikaku replied coolly. Minato glanced back at the girls, who were happily chatting with each other, sitting away from everybody else. It was as if being in a club didn't matter. He stared at Kushina for a while, a glow on face radiating that no light could fake. She caught his eye and smiled. A blush crept to Minato for the millionith time he saw her. She didn't know what was going on. She didn't know what was going to happen to her. He return her a weak smile. Mikoto would keep her safe. For once, Minato was really hoping Mikoto would keep Kushina away from him. Minato sighed, resuming his attention to Shikaku.

"Keep an eye on her, will ya?" Minato asked.

Shikaku nodded. "Remember: Handle it with care."

Both of them could always read what the other was thinking. It was something that developed only better and better as the years passed by. Minato left the boys, heading towards the girls' table. He placed a hand on Kushina's shoulder, grinning at all the girls.

"Hey, girlies! Mind if I steal her away?" Minato asked coolly.

Tsume only laughed. "Why don't you stay with us; you're one of us, chica!"

"Hey, hey, Tsume-chan, beating me in arm wrestling does not make me a girl," Minato retorted childishly. Kushina only laughed.

"It's alright. I'll be back, guys," Kushina said kindly before standing up.

Mikoto frowned. Minato caught it and gave her a reassuring face. She wasn't sure whether it was telling the truth or lying. The more time the two spent away from each other, the less Mikoto could read him. In fact, she couldn't recall the last real conversation she had with him. Two and a half months since that bet and this is what happens to them.

The happy couple waved goodbye to the girls before moving away. Mikoto tapped the table rapidly, nervous about what was going to happen to those two. She didn't want to leave those two alone and yet, Mikoto felt that Minato wouldn't do anything. A little part of her inside still trusted him. She still trusted that Minato was still that innocent, nice boy who was kind and respectful to everybody. She had heard that Kushina and him were stuck in the equipment shack and nothing still happened. He could have taken the chance but he didn't. _Maybe, just maybe... _

"Hey, Namikaze and the new girl really are an item!" A random voice interrupted.

"Ooohhh, leaving already? Looks like this club ain't hot enough for 'em."

Oh, what the hell was she thinking? Minato was still a freaking teenage boy with hormonal problems.

"Um, I forgot to f-f-feed the cat," Mikoto lied, immediately leaving the table and following after Minato and Kushina. They were barely in her view as she pushed through the various people dancing and crunking each other. The two had made a turn, disappearing from Mikoto's sight. She slid through the crowd, only to bump into a familiar figure.

"Itai! I-I'm sorry-eh?" Mikoto said, staring wide-eyed at the familiar cold eyes.

* * *

Shikaku yawned loudly. He was so not liking the bright, cool lights in the club. In fact, he wasn't sure what he was doing here in the first place. Oh wait, it was that stupid Yamanaka's idea. He couldn't deny it that it made sense, but still, it wasn't Minato's thing. He took a deep sigh, looking at his glass of water. He glanced around. He couldn't believe this was just a teen club. Everybody here was grinding each other. They weren't even dancing. He wished girls had more respect for themselves inside of just rubbing their asses against the boys' members. Where were all the strong, independent women? Actually, it would be better not to have a woman at all.

His eyes trailed over to the girls' table. They were talking still. Minato had just left with Kushina. Yoshino looked prettier than usual today, not as mean either. His eyebrows furrowed when he saw Mikoto suddenly stand up from the table, leaving the others. She was going to follow them. Shikaku looked over to Fugaku, who was sitting casual with his head resting on his hands, ignoring a skanky girl trying to flirt with him.

"Oi Uchiha, your damsel's heading for some distress here," Shikaku teased. Fugaku was too bored to even send a glare at the Nara boy. He glanced behind him, understanding what Shikaku meant. He looked disturbed.

"Uchiha-"

"Got it." Fugaku abruptly stood up from his chair, leaving the random girl hanging. He walked briskly, Shikaku noted. _Damn right he should._

* * *

"Well, well, look what we have here, boys." Kazekage licked his lips like a lizard.

Mikoto took a step back. She gulped. She felt herself shrink under the gaze of the red head boy. She had never seen him up close nor stood within a feet of him, and she wished she never did. She had always avoided him, out of fear, but today was not going well.

"K-K-Kazekage-s-s-san. I-I-I'm s-s-sorry. P-Please excuse me," Mikoto tried to get away from him, but her legs wouldn't move. They were shaking. She never realized how right Minato was, telling her to stay away from a guy like him. His face could poison you would one gaze.

He placed an arm around her shoulder, smirking. "Now, now, Chidori. Don't be going away from me. It's rare to see you without that Namikaze brat and the new girl, especially in this number."

Mikoto smiled nervously, trying to slide out of his hold, but it was too tight. She wanted to scream for help, but no sound could reach her mouth. She was desperately wishing for someone to come and rescue her, like Kushina. Especially Minato.

"So tell me. Namikaze got with the new girl, finding a new muse? Must be harsh on ya."

"Um, I-I-I never was with him. C-c-c-could you please-"

"Aww but I never get to talk with you, ya know? Namikaze always with you, trying to be a big boy. Then there was the hot new girl , who I tried getting in her pants but damn, she can kill. I'm still thinking about it, you know? She looks pretty easy once you couple it with a few good words."

Mikoto was scared. Not for herself. That was the least of her worries. But it should have been the the one with the most. She finally noticed that Kazekage was leading her away from the dance scene, the music slowly dying from her ears. She struggled out of his hold, to no avail. She wished she could summon the courage to just kick him in the crotch like Kushina would have done, but she didn't know what would happen after. She couldn't even panic right now.

"Um, please, K-k-Kazekage-san, d-d-do y-y-you mind-"

"Don't leave me, babe. I wanna hear all about your new best friend. I tried getting her, but her cute angel will do for now. Maybe she could be mines too, helping me take down that blondie-" The two stopped moving. In front of them was a dark-haired boy with piercing black eyes.

"Fugaku-kun!" She whispered in relief. There was something unusual about his face. He was usually calm and emotionless, but now, there was definitely a fire in it. He was grumpy and looked ready to kill Kazekage. Kazekage stood his ground, only exchanging stares with him. Mikoto was unsure what to do at the moment. She had never seen this side of Fugaku. He was so angry right now.

"Oi, Uchiha, nice to see you at a place like this? So tell me, what brings you here, or maybe _who_?"

Fugaku ignored him, only glaring with more daggers than before. He walked briskly past Kazekage, grabbing Mikoto's hand with him. Relieved to be out of Kazekage's grasp, she sighed. She couldn't relax yet. Her hand was still tightly held in his, to the point where it was hurting her. Her cheeks felt hot, and not from the dance club. He dragged her past all the people in the club, eventually ending up at the entrance. It was much cooler outside, more starry. She could only hear the bass of the music out here. She rubbed her shoulders, shivering. Fugaku glanced at shaking figure. He took off his blazer, placing it gently around her tiny figure. She froze up at his slightest touch. Her breathing stopped for a moment. She glanced at hiim behind her bangs, noticing him shove his hands into his pockets. She clenched onto his jacket tightly, surrounding herself with his warmth that he could never show on his face. It was large on her, reaching even further down than her dress. She thought she looked like a hooker right now, next to Fugaku.

"T-T-Thank you, F-F-Fugaku-kun," She said sincerely, a soft smile appearing across her face. "For everything."

He didn't look at her. "You shouldn't wander around like that, especially in Kazekage's hot spot. Freezing up like this is the least of horrible things he could have done to you." She could sense the anger in his tone. He was clearly unhappy with her.

Mikoto bit her lips. "I-I-I know, I-I-I was j-j-just-"

"Minato didn't tell you to stay away from him for no reason. You should really listen to him, even when you don't trust him. You can't always believe he's looking out for you all the time."

"No, why would he do that when he can just force you to do that for him while he tries to fuck Kushina," Mikoto stated bitterly. Her words had caught Fugaku by surprise. He had never heard her say something like that, let alone swear at all. He turned to her, facing her with a worried look.

"Chidori, you need to understand him-"

"No, you understand, Uchiha. You may be a freaking genius with your amazing grades and martial arts skills with your little stick, but you are a retard in reality!" Mikoto could feel herself yelling, but she didn't care. She was just so angry at him right now, her fists balled up tightly. She didn't even take the time to notice Fugaku's eyes suddenly widen up like golf balls, a miracle in the world. He looked mildly shock at her sudden outburst.

"God, you're so stupid! I can't believe that I actually-you know what? I don't even think you give a care! You are an Uchiha! I don't get why you're so thick-headed and so oblvious to a girl when she-" Mikoto kept rambling on, exasperated. Fugaku just listened to her, staring at her in shock and disbelief. He was starting to think Shikaku's theory on women were correct. In every strong loud woman is a sweet person. Guess it went the same vice versa.

"That's it! I've had it with you! You are just as stupid with girls as Yamanaka and Minato and Shikaku and the Hyuugas and actually, probably even stupider because when you bring a girl face to face like this close, she expects a kiss but no! I don't even know why I had such high expectations with you! I mean, you a a freaking Uchiha and-"

Mikoto stopped talking. Her mouths stopped moving as Fugaku leaned in to close it. Mikoto's eyes widen, completely surprised by his sudden action. Her cheeks grew hotter when she felt his hand gently cup her cheeks and the other grabbing her waist, bringing them closer. His lips felt soft on her and rather, tasty for an Uchiha. Why was he doing this? Then again, why was she even thinking about it. She let go of herself, grabbing the back of his head. His hair was soft and clean too. And he wasn't even done kissing her.

_Damn Uchiha. He's more romantic that he appeared, _Shikaku grinned deviously, leaning against the entrance. It was a good night for this really. No clouds to hide them under the starry sky.

* * *

"That looks like a giant spoon."

"That's cause it's the Great Dipper."

"Isn't it the Big Dipper?"

"No, actually I'm not sure what it's called."

"Minato, you're stupid," Kushina laughed as her companion joined in.

The two were sitting on Kushina's bed, star gazing at the night sky through the window. Her parents were out of town on a business trip, leaving those two alone. Minato could not believe Yamanaka had sent them to a club. What kind of romantic idea was that? Clubs were for random hooking up with strangers, not spending alone time. He stared at her face that smiled brightly. She was luminizing under the moonlight. Her red hair flowed with the wind like music. She had a beautiful smile, just like what he saw the first day he met her. He couldn't look away. At least, not in pleasure. He always felt guilty around her. He wished he could tell her the truth, but it would ruin her. It was a sacrifice he was willing to make for her. Sure, she was bound to be broken heart and sad and maybe want to beat the crap out of him once the bet was done, but there was no other choice. At least, for her sakes.

He looked down at his knees, his fist clenched tightly. Kushina noticed, looking at him worried.

"Minato-kun, everything alright?"

He shook his head, smiling. "Yeah. It's just...I can't believe I'm actually with you now." _And not doing you already. Goddamnit, why couldn't your parents be home at a time like this? _

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked slyly, leaning her head on his shoulder. Minato stared right into her violet eyes.

"Exactly what it is." He kissed her lips quickly, smirking. She sat up on her bed so that she was looking down on him now. She surrounded his neck with her arms and leaned in for another kiss. Everytime he kissed her, it felt like it was their first kiss over a million times. He grabbed her waist, pushing her against the bed so that he was on top. Their lips barely parted for a second before they went in again. He went down to her neck, making a trail on it. She moaned.

"Minato-kun..." She whispered so innocently. God, she didn't know that the sound of her saying his name made him crazy.

He would, by instinct, discover his hand grabbing the hem of her dress tightly. His hand stopped himself there, distracting himself with all the kissing on top. He couldn't do it. Not to her. Not to Kushina. It felt so warm to be her. He would miss so many things if he were to do it. Their conversations. Their jokes. Eating ramen with her. Walking home together. Talking on the phone. Escaping Mikoto whenever they had the chance. He didn't know if he could lose it, or even willing to. He could hear Mikoto's voice screaming at him in disappointment, probably gibberish.

Minato parted his lips away from Kushina. They were breathing hard, mingling with each other. He looked deep into her eyes. She looked so damn beautiful right now, especially in that dress. Kushina opened her mouth, ready to say something but Minato didn't let her. He smashed his lips into hers again, preparing for another round. Her back arched up as his hand trailed it, reaching for the zipper. No. I won't do it. It's wrong. Not to Kushina. I can't do it.

Oh to hell with his conscious. He was on top of a hot girl in bed. The only thing between them was that freaking tight orange dress.

He couldn't wait for the loudest, angriest, pissed off lecture from Chidori Mikoto tomorrow.

And Yamanaka Inoichi squealing in glee.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The sun's ray hit through Mikoto's window as her eyes fluttered open. She rolled over to the other side, her back facing the window. She didn't want to get up, even though she had classes today. She groaned, rubbing her forehead as she took off the blankets. She gasped, noticing that she was still wearing Fugaku's jacket. She immediately got up, looking back and forth. She sighed in relief, thinking for a moment he was next to her. She was still in her dress from last night. Remembering what had happened, her face turned red like a tomato, cupping both her cheeks.

Fugaku had kissed her last night. She didn't even see it coming at all. Well at least, not at that moment. It was just too sudden and very un-Uchiha. But what happened after that? She recalled. She didn't even remember coming home. She glanced at the clock, noticing it was almost time to head out for school. She took a quick shower, washed her face, dressed herself in the school uniform, and fixed her hair. She didn't look too bad after the club. It wasn't like she had a hangover. She looked over at Fugaku's jacket and wrapped it neatly in a plastic bag. She briskly walked down the stairs, smiling at the sight of the familiar white-haired man sitting on the table with a cup of coffee.

"Ohayou, Jiraiya!" Mikoto greeted cheerfully. Jiraiya looked over, returning the same big smile.

"Ah, about time you woke up, Miko-chan! Had a pretty busy night, eeehh?" Jiraiya grinned slyly. "Don't tell me you got any action. Minato-kun wouldn't like that, would he?"

Mikoto chuckled nervously. "N-No. Um, d-d-do you remember h-how-"

"You got home last night?" Jiraiya finished her sentence. He was always able to read these kids' mind. Aside from their parents, he had practically raised Minato and Mikoto since birth. Babysitting was definitely a hard job.

"That Uchiha boy took you home last night. Apparently, you fell asleep so he came in carrying you to your bedroom. You guys looked kinda cute together. What were you two doing exactly?"

Mikoto blushed a deep red. She couldn't even look at Jiraiya. He only chuckled, knowing that he was embarrassing her already.

"Um, I gotta head out now. Oh, did Minato-kun come home too?" Mikoto asked curiously. She never did get to discover what had happened at he and Kushina left. Jiraiya nodded.

"Yep. He came home early this morning but left for school already. He spent the night at Yamanaka's. I've confirmed with them so it's all good."

Mikoto smiled. It appeared she was right about him. Minato didn't go along with it at all. He was still a true gentleman. He probably just dropped her off. _Minato-kun, I'm so proud of you._

"Anyway, I'm going now. See ya Jiraiya!" Mikoto exclaimed cheerfully before leaving her home.

She walked to school, fully content with the day. Her head was starting to clear up now. Fugaku had indeed kissed her last night. He didn't speak much after that nor confessed anything. He had only offered to drive her home. She had probably fallen asleep during the ride, but nonetheless, that did make her night. Actually, she wasn't sure what to do now if she saw him. Should she confront him about it? Ignore it? He could have just done it to shut her up.

Mikoto touched her lips, still trying to refresh the taste of his lips.

"Ahhh, shake it off! Shake it off!" Mikoto lectured herself, earning her weird looks from her fellow schoolmates. She giggled nervously, blushing. She clutched her schoolbooks tighter as she walked around the school. She headed for the courtyard, where she and her friends always met up. Everyday they would meet up in the courtyard just chatting about anything.

Today was not like every other day. Today, something was different. Today was the moment Mikoto had worried about so much. Her eyes widened as it flashed right in front of her. She gasped.

"Oh no..."

Just a couple feet away from her was Minato and Kazekage, facing each other. They were talking to each other, inaudible to Mikoto's ears. Shikaku, Inoichi, Fugaku, Choichi, and the Hyuuga twins stood behind Minato, ready for anything that could happened with Kazekage's goons behind him. Minato's hands reached out to Kazekage in the form of a fist. It never made contact with Kazekage's face but instead, released itself to drop a piece of bright red cloth into Kazekage's palms.

Her books dropped to the ground. Mikoto's hands immediately reached to cover her mouth, trying to mute herself from screaming. He couldn't have. _No, he didn't... Minato, you didn't!_

Minato's bangs fell over his eyes, blocking it from Mikoto's view. He looked to the side, away from Kazekage's smirk. Kazekage clenched it tightly as he stuffed it in his pockets. He said a few words before departing from Minato and the gang, roaring with laughter. Kazekage and his friends were making their way towards Mikoto. She froze up. She told herself to move, but she couldn't. It felt like last night in the club. That's what Kazekage did to her. He sent fear running down her spine. She saw Minato face at her, slightly distraught. He was yelling at her, but she couldn't hear him. Kazekage glanced at her, smirking. He placed a hand on her shoulder, catching her by surprise. She started to shake. _Move, move, move, please, move... _

"You're new friend sounds like one easy girl in bed," Kazekage whispered to her ear, sounding wild.

Mikoto's eyes widened, but not in shock. Kazekage's hand left her shoulder before disappearing from her sight. Minato and the others quickly ran up to Mikoto, surrounding her like a criminal. Minato grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her gently.

"I've told you too many times not to be around him, even when I'm there, Miko-chan! Why didn't you go away?" Minato nearly screamed in her face angrily. He couldn't believe why she didn't move at all. Fugaku had told him of a similar incident last night as well and he thanked God for his friend being there. Maybe if he didn't tell Mikoto to avoid Kazekage all the time, she wouldn't be so scared.

He was met with a slap to his face. Minato didn't look back. He understood why she did it. It was probably the right thing too. He was not suprised Mikoto would resort to this. She was capable of anything now. Kushina's arrival just activated it.

"Why, Minato?" She asked darkly.

Minato rubbed his sore cheek. He didn't dare look her in the eye. "Don't meddle in things you have nothing to do with."

"I have every right to meddle! How dare you do that to Kushina! She trusted you! Why else would she go after you! She even loved you!" Mikoto screamed into his face. She had never yelled at him so loudly nor so angrily. He had gone too far this time. Minato had crossed the line. There was no way he could fix it. It was over.

Minato furrowed his brows. He looked guilty. The other boys around him looked at the ground, hoping to avoid Mikoto's gaze. She turned to them, especially the Uchiha.

"And you, Fugaku-kun...What the hell was that about yesterday..." She asked in a demanding tone. Fugaku closed his eyes. He hesitated to open his mouth.

"Only to keep you away from Minato and the Uzumaki girl."

Mikoto's fist clenched. She could feel her eyes getting moist. Everything was a lie with boys. She laughed.

"I should have known. You're an Uchiha after all," she stated bitterly before dashing away from the boys, leaving their sight.

Minato leaned against the tree trunk, letting out a huge sigh. He let out a hollow laugh.

"Funny huh, Fugaku? She slaps me and gives me the freaking lecture but all she does is remind that you're an Uchiha, eh Fugaku?" Minato chuckled with a pained smile. "Means she really likes you."

"Liked," Fugaku corrected with a grunt.

Minato wanted to laugh but couldn't right now. The situation wouldn't be right. He remembered what happened last night between him and Kushina. It was the most painfully emotional experience he had ever been through. It went uglier than expected. But it was the best way to end it. He looked over to Shikaku, who still retained a calm composure. Shikaku saw Minato's expression and shook his head.

"It's for the best," he said simply.

Minato nodded but wished things ended diferently.

* * *

On the rooftop, Mikoto was scanning down her contacts through vigorously and impatiently. Her fingers kept rolling down the screen, cursing Kushina for her last name. When she finally reached "Uzumaki Kushina," she immediately dialed it and brought the phone up to her ear.

"Come on, Kushi-chan, please pick up, please pick up," Mikoto prayed. The phone kept ringing and ringing. It stopped.

"Kushina!" Mikoto practically screamed in relief. But it did not calm her down. "I can't take it anymore! I can't hide it so please hear me-"

"I know, Miko-chan."

Mikoto's eyes widened. Kushina sounded so stern yet so vulnerable, as if she was going to cry any minute now. Mikoto couldn't believe this was happening. She gripped her phone tightly.

"Kushi, I'm so sorry this is all my fault! I should have told you from the beginning, then maybe, maybe-" Mikoto could fear the tears form around her eyes now. She didn't want to cry, but the guilt was too much. She could have stopped this. She could have reached out for Minato more like a good big sister. She could have seen through Fugaku's mask...

A chuckled escaped from the other line. "It's alright, Miko-chan. You had nothing to do with this. I was s-s-stupid...thinking Minato was different. I mean, he hangs out with Yamanaka," She let out a chuckle, but Mikoto knew it was a fake one. "I'm s-s-sorry, I d-d-don't feel so well. Can't come to school today." The more Kushina talked, the more the sobbing became apparently. Mikoto couldn't take this any longer.

"No, Kushina, don't even blame yourself! I'll come after school! I promise! I'll-"

The phone line went dead. Mikoto remained still for a moment, trying to translate everything that had happened in one morning. Just last night, it was so magical, between her and Fugaku. It was only one kiss but it had made her smile. She should had known. It was so obvious now that she was looking back. She turned her phone off, throwing it in her bag.

She leaned against the iron fencing surround the rooftop. Mikoto felt like crying. Tears formed across from her eyes, but she wiped them away. She couldn't believe what had happened.

_I could have stopped this. I could have watched Kushina, no, her and Minato more. I could have taught him better. I could have showed him that just because he's a boy doesn't mean he should go on some sex bet. And Kushina, oh I wished I stayed close to her. I wished I could have told her everything from the beginning. And Fugaku, why did I fall for him? What on earth was there to like about him anyway? He was too quiet. He played me so I wouldn't ruin things with Minato and Kushina. He was an accomplice. He... _

She grabbed the fencing, holding onto it for support. She wanted to break down and just hit herself a thousand times for letting this happen. Kushina would have said otherwise, but Mikoto couldn't help but blame herself for this whole problem. She ruined everything. Minato could had have a splendid time with his first girlfriend. Kushina could have had a wonderful year for a new school, not get caught in a sex bet and her heart broken. And herself, with Fugaku...

Would she have loved Fugaku is this happened? Would she had realized it if the bet didn't happen? Would even he...

She shook away those thoughts. _Don't be selfish. He never liked you and never will. It was all just play and stunts. Don't think otherwise. It was just..._

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She gritted her teeth. She did not feel like seeing anybody right now.

"Go away you bastard-" She whispered harshly before she felt herself pushed against the fence and a pair of lips crash into hers.

* * *

Okay this chappie was shorter than most by...ALOT. Anyway, this is almost ending so thanks to all he read this!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Now then, tell me what really happened between Namikaze and that new girl."

Mikoto didn't know what to do at the moment. All that she knew was that Kazekage's hands were around her neck and thought that every breath right now was her last. She tried so desperately to tear his hands away from her neck but she was too weak for him. Strained chokes were the only thing escaping from her lips. She could barely speak. Why was he doing this to her? What did he mean when he ask her that?

His grip only grew tighter the longer she didn't talk. Her eyes widened when she saw his, full of malice and lust. Sweatbeads began dropping from her forehead. She wanted to look away, hoping that Minato, Fugaku, Kushina, or the others were somewhere nearby to help her out but it did not succeed. Kazekage's eyes were too frightening to even look away. She didn't even want to know what he was going to do with her and why he was so curious about Kushina and Minato.

"I...I...d-d-d-don't..." Mikoto tried to speak, but she could feel the oxygen in her throat disappearing with each second.

He punched her in the stomach, smashing her into the fence. She didn't scream, only reaching for her stomach to soothe it.

"Now unless you want me in your gal pal's pants, and maybe even yours," he said that with extreme malice and animal-like way she had ever heard. "You better tell me how Namikaze managed to even finish our bet, or if he even did."

She really didn't know what he was talking about. She didn't even want to think about it. All she wanted to do was somehow throw off Kazekage from her and run away. She didn't know how and wished she did.

"P-P-Please...let go..." She pleaded but he only tightened his hold around her neck, paining her even more.

"Not until you tell me where that Uzumaki girl is unless..."

Kazekage leaned into her ear dangerously. Mikoto could hear her heartbeat thumping faster and faster as her face went pale.

"You wouldn't mind taking her place instead."

Mikoto's eyes widened. Her mouth slightly parted in shock. How could he put her in that kind of situation. She felt his other hand slither around her waist, stopping at the bottom button of her shirt. She could feel the tears forming again. She was shaking underneath him and it made Kazekage grin.

"Now then, lets try to do what was supposed to happen last night."

Mikoto screamed at Kazekage. In less than a second, Kazekage's face was blown to the side, followed by a dark fist to his cheeks. Mikoto only stood there, frozen and shocked, at the familiar figure with his cold, black eyes.

"F-F-F-Fugaku-k-k-kun?" She whispered, a mix if surprise and relief on her face at his appearance. He looked just like when he saw her with Kazekage last night too. Except this time, it looked a lot more angrier and crueler. It looked like his eyes were on fire. He did not look at Mikoto, opting to continue to his glare at Kazekage.

Kazekage sat up, wiping the blood away from his lips. He had a smug look. "Jealous your little girlfriend was waiting for me and not you?"

Kazekage cursed as Inoichi swung a kick at him at the head.

"That cutie is Uchiha property, you eyebrowless FREAK!" Inoichi snarled rather comically to Mikoto's mind.

It took less than a second for Kazekage to be knocked unconscious. He laid on the ground, sprawled like a bat. Mikoto could barely comprehend what had happened just a couple minutes ago. She slid to the ground, her body shaking. Her neck was bruised, hurting her slightly. It was starting to burn red. Even if everything was over, she still feeling the after effects of it. _He nearly..._

"MIKO-CHAN!" She heard Minato scream, panicking. He crouched right next to her, immediately placing his school jacket around her petite body. He was scanning her up and down, his face sweating. He looked so worried. Mikoto never seen him like this since they were little kids.

"Miko-chan, what happened? Why are you up here? What did Kazekage want? Oh god, I'm sorry but I gotta know! He didn't do anything, right? Why is there are there some buttons undone? You're still a virgin, right, right? Or at least tell me Fugaku was your first-"

"WHAT?" Fugaku's eyes widened, reforming his fist with intentions for a certain blonde. Minato seriously knew how to lighten up a mood, even when he himself didn't realize it.

"Oh shut it, Uchiha. It's always been you," Chozu smirked.

Shikaku walked forward to Minato, leaning down next to him. "Oi, Minato, let's give the girl some space first. It's not everyday you're about to get raped by that jackass."

Minato nodded hesitantly. He looked away. "I'm sorry, Miko-chan." Mikoto could sense the guilt and regret in his tone, but what for? Minato and Shikaku stood up, leaving Mikoto a few moments alone to herself. She thanked them silently for it, clutching to the jacket even tighter.

"Hey, Shikaku, what do you want us to do with this freak?" Hizashi asked loudly as he and his brother heaved the unconscious Kazekage to a standing position.

Hiashi glanced down to the corner, noticing a dirty dark dumpster there. The twins looked at each other, smirking at their identical thinking. Shikaku watched the the Hyuugas scurry off to their evil doings and scowled.

"I'll be damned if those two manage to get the most humorless kids in the world," Shikaku commented.

Minato chuckled. "Sometimes kids are just like their parents. I just hope your future kid isn't as lazy as you are."

"I wonder..." Minato continued as he looked around his friends. He had grown alongside them for so long. Here they were now, near the end of high school, doing crazy and stupid things. One day, they were going to be adults and act up, being role models to their own children. "What would everybody's kids be like?"

Shikaku shrugged. His eyes bounced back and forth between Fugaku and Mikoto and smiled. "I get the feeling the only way Fugaku's gonna have good looking kids is if he gets it going with Chidori."

"And the only way they won't become serial killers," Minato joked along. He looked for his blond friend, he was among the Hyuugas. They were posing at their self-pictures with a soon-to-be humiliated Kazekage in the dumpster. "I really think Inoichi is gonna end up with a girl."

Shikaku raised an eyebrow, confused at Minato's assumption. Minato understood that look, and went on to explain.

"I mean, he's such a womanizer right now. Maybe a daughter ought to change his minds, you know? He'll probably lock her up and go on a murder spree of boys. Having a girl really changes things. Especially for men like us."

Shikaku nodded, smiling. He couldn't help but agree. Out of everybody, it seemed so perfect for Inoichi to have a girl.

"Maybe his daughter will get a little some-some with your future son," Minato teased. Shikaku twitched.

"I will not have Yamanaka's blood in my grandchildren," Shikaku stated, slightly frightened at the possibility. "Besides, my kids will be smart enough not to end up with them. They're so loud, those Yamanakas."

Minato laughed. Even if he was still a teenager, he couldn't wait for the day to have kids. The idea of being a father didn't sound so bad. He was looking forward to that day, even if it took 10 years from today. It would be cool to have a boy. He liked the idea of having a boy that wasn't like him. Minato always thought of himself as too calm and quiet. A loud, crazy, hyperactive boy could really liven up his life a bit. Maybe he would end up best friends with Mikoto's kid too, just like they were.

He looked back at his friend, who was still sitting there against the fence. She was still shaken up from what had happened. She seemed restless, unable to calm herself even after the ordeal. Minato noticed that Fugaku was sitting next to her. They weren't talking nor was he hugging her for comfort. They were just sitting next to each other. It seem so easy to them. Minato smiled. It reminded him of being with Kushina.

Shikaku looked over at Minato. He had that kind of look on his face. A look of desire, but not for Mikoto. Minato desired what was going on between the Fugaku and Mikoto. It was understandable. Minato had broke the love of his life's heart and probably his as well. He didn't have to do it, yet he did it anyway. Jealousy wasn't uncommon, even to a person as great as Minato; it just took many forms. Shikaku sighed.

"Stay here," Shikaku ordered as he turned around, heading towards the two. Minato nodded, unsure of what Shikaku was going to do.

* * *

Fugaku and Mikoto looked up at Shikaku's figure in front of them. He stood up, not proudly, but confidently like a man should be. Shikaku observed their position. They were rather close, their shoulders touching, but nothing else. He turned his attention to the damsel in distress.

"Chidori, a private word with you?" He asked softly. Mikoto nodded and Fugaku understood. He got up and left the two alone. From the side, Shikaku could have sworn he saw a very worried look on Fugaku's face. Looks like Uchihas do have emotions; They just bottle them up until it explodes.

He crouched down to Mikoto so that the two were at eye level. She gave him a weak smile, trying to assure him that everything was alright even when it wasn't. Shikaku let out a long, deep sigh.

"Look, I don't know how to approach this with you," Shikaku confessed. "To be honest, I feel very hypocritical right now."

"What do you mean?" She asked, wanting to know more about the bet than ever before. Shikaku was quiet for a moment, but she pressed him on.

"Please, Shikaku, I need to know. Kazekage threatened me about Kushina and I'm sure that wasn't a coincidence."

Shikaku moaned. This really was hard. "I forced the boys not to tell you like what I'm about to do now. It was supposed to be a secret, even if it meant you girls torturing us for life."

Mikoto chuckled. "I thought you got so used to it with Yoshino-chan."

"Don't change the subject, woman," Shikaku fired back quickly. "But honestly, about the bet..."

"Look, Shikaku, I don't care what Minato gained from that stupid bet. You should know that Kushina is sitting at home, probably crying to herself at how stupid she was when really it was Minato-kun's fault," Mikoto interrupted him, her anger boiling slowly. Shikaku rarely saw this side of her. Maybe it came from protecting friends. She was always too kind. He looked at her face. It was determined yet incredibly serene. She had a very maternal thing about her. The perfect mother to Fugaku's kids. Shikaku smiled inside at the thought.

"You better tell me about it now, Shikaku," Mikoto demanded. "Because I want Minato to go straight up to Kushina and apologize to that girl. He lied to her to get in bed with he, ends up breaking her heart, probably leaving her pregnant with mini-Minato's-"

"He never did it."

Mikoto stopped herself. Her eyes were wide and confused. This wasn't right either. She was just on the phone with Kushina. The girl was almost crying. It had to be it.

"Then w-w-why-"

"I don't know what Uzumaki told you, and to be honest I'm not sure what happened between her and Minato last night. All I know was that it got ugly and Minato did not do it. He admitted it to us. Actually, I doubt he ever planned on doing it from the start."

It felt like the longest second of silence to Mikoto. He didn't do it. He never did it. Minato really was trustful. He didn't have the guts, no, the will to do it. In the end, he really did care about Kushina.

"B-B-But it doesn't explain w-w-why..." Mikoto was at a loss of words for a moment. What did she want to know first? She wanted to know everything. She had to. If Minato did not do it, then why was Kushina so heartbroken? She needed to figure things out. "Why would he even take up such a stupid bet. He was risking Kushina's innocence-"

"Would you rather have Kazekage in her pants instead?" Shikaku asked darkly.

Mikoto's breath stopped. He sounded so serious and dead on. Shikaku continued.

"That was the real bet. If Minato couldn't do it, Kazekage was next. Minato didn't want that ever to happen, especially to her. You know his reputation around girls, Chidori. Actually, I think he gave you only a glimpse of what he would have done to Uzumaki had Minato not taken the bet. He didn't give a fuck about his inheritance. He was hoping that would ease Kazekage up instead. He just didn't want him raping the poor girl.

"Then you founded out. Boy were you screwing up with our plans. But I think Minato preferred that. Actually, I think he would rather have you around her all the time and know about the bet. It helped keep him away from Kushina, preventing his stupid hormones. Minato was such a chicken, always scared to do it, even if he knew he had to.

"He was worried about you too, Chidori. That Minato, he predicts everything and it's always right. You see, all the guys know Kazekage goes after virgins like you and Uzumaki. She was the prime target, but if he had to do you first to get his way, he would. Minato knew that would eventually happen. That's where Uchiha comes in."

Mikoto's heart paused for a moment. She bit her lips. Guess she was right about Fugaku from the start but she was starting to see things quite differently now that Shikaku was telling her everything. He was actually the perfect fit for this. Minato would never tell her such a thing out of protectiveness. Fugaku always kept to himself, even when it harmed him too. The only one that had the guts and words were Shikaku.

"Minato wanted Uchiha to keep a good eye on you. I'm sorry, but we really did intend to match-make you guys from the beginning so we could sneak some alone time for him and Uzumaki. Sure, it took a lot of convincing, pressure, _blackmail_," Shikaku said this under his breath. "theories, and schemes for get Uchiha into this. But believe me when I say this: Uchiha did this on his own free will. Don't ever think Minato forced him to do it. Uchiha chose to do this because deep down, he really cares about you. Why else would he pummel Kazekage like that?"

Shikaku motioned to the dumpsters, where the Hyuuga twins and Inoichi were swirling Kazekage's body around like a smoothie. Mikoto had a sweat drop on her forehead. She smiled weakly at them. Those boys were really stupid and perverted, but life at Konoha High would be boring without them. Across from the three were Fugaku and Minato leaning against the wall, talking to each other. She looked at Minato with his fake smile of assurance. She frowned.

"But then, Minato and Kushina..."

"He knew the price to pay way ahead of time, Chidori," Shikaku answered her worried tone. "He knew the risk of possibly breaking Uzumaki's heart and his as well, but Minato placed safety above all. He's the type of guy that can handle a bad rep. He rather seem like a jerk keeping her safe than the nice guy giving her up to Kazekage. That's just Minato."

Mikoto clung to every word Shikaku said. He was right. Minato was everything he said. In fact, Mikoto was surprised at herself for not even believing Minato from the very start at all. Sure, she had small hopes, but the doubts always overpowered them. She underestimated him greatly. She felt like the worst best friend right now. She buckled her knees together as she brought them closer to her chin.

Shikaku sighed. "As troublesome as this is, I thought it was important for you to know. He didn't go through with it, and look at what happens. Actually, I don't even think he would have told you either way. Now that I'm finished, you have every right to demand answers from him."

Mikoto smiled. "Thank you, Shikaku." He was that rare type of friend you find in a lifetime. Minato better hold on to him as long as he could. He may not be the closest or best friend, but he sure was a great one.

Shikaku slowly stood up so that he was looking down at her. He glanced over to Minato, motioning him over. Minato responded with a quick yet hesitant nod. He said a few inaudible words to Fugaku and began walking towards the two.

"I'm going to give you and Minato some space right now," said Shikaku. "He needs you more than ever now."

He walked away, exchanging nods with Minato. When he approached her, Minato smiled and took a seat next to Mikoto so that he was leaning against the fence. He tried to recall the last time he had a talk like this with her. Maybe months ago before Kushina came. He kinda missed getting her help or advice. He needed now, he admitted, but he was too scared to tell her everything.

"Feeling better now?" He tried to be comfortable about this.

"Y-Yeah, now that those guys got Kazekage eating trash," Mikoto joked, trying to lighten up the mood. Minato chuckled, not surprised that Inoichi and the Hyuugas were still fooling around with Kazekage's unconscious body in the dumpster. It might never end for them.

"You can't forget that Fugaku was the one that punched him. That means he really likes you, Miko-chan," Minato teased."Kinda like you shinning knight in armor?"

Mikoto blushed and looked away, annoyed by that comment. "F-F-Fugaku-kun's not that handsome."

"I didn't say he was, but I guess he would be if I was a girl," Minato laughed.

"I think you and Fugaku-kun would be the perfect couple. Light and dark, happy and gloomy, girly and masculine-"

"Okay, let's stop there."

Mikoto chuckled. They rarely teased each other anymore until today. She remembered why he was here in the first place and mustered everything in her stomach to ask it.

"Minato, tell me what happened last night between you and Kushina."

Minato fell silent after she spoke. He suddenly found the ground interesting and wished there was grass he could pull from. He wasn't surprised that she would ask that question; he just rather not answer it. But when he passed by Shikaku, he understood that he had to know.

_That hypocrite,_ Minato smirked. _He told her everything when he said we shouldn't._

He gave up. He looked at Mikoto with a serious face and his face looked much older than before.

"After we left the club last night..."

* * *

Yes, it's a little cliffie. Okay, only 2-3 chappies left in this story. I swear. Then it's off to my next story. It's probably Sasusaku cause I enjoy writing that pair, even though the manga right now makes it seem quite hopeless (I mean, did Sasuke NOT try to to kill the poor girl? Seriously, he's such a douchebag right now.) I'm not sure what my idea is going to be really. Maybe I'll return to my original story that was on hiatus but who knows? Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you guys review it! It would really help a lot!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

_Flashback_

_Minato sat on Kushina's bedside, shirtless and sweating. He was contemplating everything that he had done within the last couple of minutes. He scanned the her room in darkness, giving himself a headache at the sight. His shirt was practically thrown across the room next to Kushina's dress. Underneath his foot were her undergarments. He felt the lacy fabric clash with his rough skin and immediately felt dirty. He cursed under his breath. The only thing left on his body was his pair of blue boxers. he kept his eyes concentrated on the ground, remembering what had happened. He was ripping her clothes off, too eager to get it done and next thing he knew, he was hearing Kushina's pleas to stop. It had hypnotized him, her wailing voice. Almost to the point she was crying. He had stopped not only because he couldn't do it, but because it would harm her. He kept his back facing Kushina, who laid in bed naked with the blanket covering her body. She looked distressed, her breath seemingly stopped for some moments. They had nearly taken it too far and all of a sudden it had stopped. Her eyes were wide, surprised at the events that had happened before this._

_"You were so easy." He had a monotone.  
_

_Kushina clutched her blanket even tighter to her body. She wanted to tear her eyes away from Minato but couldn't. It was so focused on his back, unable to see his face. Minato preferred that. If she saw him, she would instantly knew he was lying._

_Minato clenched his fists tightly. He wished he never had to say things like this, but he had to. He had to finish this. He wanted to make it quick and painless, like ripping a bandage. Unfortunately, it felt more like stabbing himself with a thousand daggers.  
_

_"I trusted you," Kushina said weakly. She was so different from her real self. She was always confident and loud, ready to take on anything. This was not Kushina. Minato had broken her harder than he thought. Minato assumed she would be able to get out of this stronger than ever, but he doubted it now._

_"That was the best part," Minato replied, trying to sound as cruel as possible. "You believed in me so easily and look where it gets you."_

_He felt he was vomiting out those words. Every word he said stung his pride._

_"You were different." Kushina's tone was bitter now. Minato couldn't let that get to him. He had to keep the upper hand._

_"Maybe. But like every man, I just wanted a girl to be my fuck buddy. Why else wouldn't I want a relationship with you? How could I stand being with the new girl?"_

_How much longer did he had to force himself to talk? He stood up, retrieving his shirt and putting it on. He picked up Kushina's bra and panties, destroyed from his doing. He stuffed them in his jean pockets, never looking at Kushina. He reached for the doorknob, wanting to get out of this quickly._

_"You're not Minato!" Kushina screamed, boiling with anger. "He would never resort to this! He would respect me! The one I see right now; I don't consider him a man! I consider him one messed up boy!"_

_Minato scoffed. "You're the one that's jacked up. You prance around like the tough girl until you start moaning my name-"_

_"SHUT UP!"_

_ Minato's eyes widened as he saw her eyes brimming with tears. She was incredibly angry and so vulnerable. Minato was shaken by this sight. He had never seen her like this. Her tears were falling but she wasn't crying. He wished he could just go up to her, hug her, wipe away those tears, tell her the truth, and just apologize for everything. He wished he could go back in time and just drop that bet. He wished Kazekage didn't exist. Even better, he wished Kushina didn't even come to school; it would have kept her safe for the most part. He wouldn't have to break her heart, nor his.  
_

_"If you think you're so mighty, why don't you try to even finish your business? Or are you still just the coward I loved?" _

_He couldn't respond to that. Minato turned his sight away from her, cannot even bearing to look at her. It would melt him, make him weak._

_"Don't even bother coming to school tomorrow. It won't be long before the cheerleaders mark you as a slut. Have fun convincing them you're not, new girl." Minato shut the door behind him with a bang. He lingered against the door, taking in a huge sigh. He held his breath in as he heard Kushina sob quietly on the other side. He hurried down the stairs and left the house. he jammed his keys into ignition, driving his car faster than the limit. As he drove through the night, tiny tears started popping along his blue eyes._

**_Kushina, I'm so sorry...for everything..._**

_End Flashback_

Minato was solemn at the moment. Mikoto tried to remain as calm as possible as he recited that story but it was so hard to keep it in there. She held her hands tightly together, so that she would not spazz out and hit her friend. She was being as understanding as she could. Mikoto could see everything that Minato had bottled up since that incident. She could see the regret, the guilt, the anger, and the sadness that came with this deal.

She didn't know what to say to him. This was the first time ever. She could always help him and so did he, but right now, both were speechless. No one wanted to say the first word nor make the first move. They weren't little kids anymore. They were growing up and sooner or later, they couldn't be there for each other everyday. They would eventually go their separate ways.

But right now, Mikoto knew that she had to help him. She didn't know whether to forgive him, praise him, or just give Minato a slap again. What he did was indeed admirable in a cruel sense. Maybe it didn't matter to her at the moment how he finished it, but it gave her much relief that he did not betray Kushina totally.

"I'm sorry, Minato-kun," Mikoto confessed, feeling partially responsible. "I-I-I shouldn't have doubted you from the start, no matter what."

Minato smiled weakly. "I would be surprised if you weren't. I am a man after all."

"But you're a different. You're the nice guy," Mikoto admitted, never really saying things like this so openly to her best friend. "You're the guy everybody trusts, respects, and wouldn't dare cross. You just wouldn't do things like this without good reasons. I've forgotten that deep down, you've always had a good heart, always looking out for others when you couldn't do it to yourself."

Minato was quiet. He didn't feel like talking, even though he should.

"Tell her."

Minato looked at Mikoto, blinking like crazy. Did she just say what he thought she said? "Huh?" That was probably the craziest advice she had told him.

"Tell her everything. She has to know. I don't care if it doesn't work or she doesn't believe, you have to tell her," Mikoto explained. She was quite aware it was an impossible feat, especially for Minato. But that phone call had tramautized even her. "You don't realize how much pain she's in. You left her thinking you were using her. You made her feel like she was nothing to you. Can you believe that you could do that to a girl as strong as her?"

"You think I didn't see that coming?" Minato shot back nervously. "Miko-chan, as much as I want to have her back, I can't-"

"But you love her, and she does too," Mikoto interrupted. She didn't care what excuses Minato had or even if he even deserved to in the first place. She was not going to let a relationship fall apart because of a stupid bet. "If two people are in love, then there's no stopping them from being together."

Minato didn't know how to fight back now. He wanted to do everything Mikoto was telling him to do, but he couldn't. He wanted to tell himself it was out of keeping Kushina safe but really, he knew deep down was because he feared her rejection. He feared that Kushina would never forgive him. Even if he did plan to act like the total jerk to her, he would be more happier if he was allowed to touch her once more.

"I'll see."

Mikoto only smiled. She understood that response. She gave Minato a quick yet soft hug from the side. "Thank you, Minato-kun."

"Che, Yeah. Now that we're done with me and Kushi-chan, Imma give you the lowdown on Fugaku."

"Minato-kun!" Mikoto frowned, blushing immediately. "T-T-There's nothing wrong with u-u-us, actually we're not even dating!"

Minato laughed. "Oh please. I know you too well. Think you can melt the human ice cube, Future Mrs. Uchiha?"

Mikoto looked away, not even want to talk about this. Minato was definitely the worst, yet best person to talk to about Fugaku.

"Look you know Fugaku, he's kinda quiet and well, too reserved," Minato went on, glancing at his dark-haired friend sitting quietly near the Hyuugas and Inoichi. "The fact that he can even say sentences with you means he's really into you. His ways may seem subtle, but they do say a lot for an Uchiha. Give him a chance, will ya? You gotta be patient with Uchihas. As cold as they seem, they can actually be the most romantic people in the world if it's the right girl who has long straight dark hair, pretty pale skin, piercing dark eyes, and teaches ballet to little brats."

Mikoto giggled. She looked at Fugaku, taking in everything that made him an Uchiha. True, he was unusually quiet and kept to himself most of the time. But the times he had talked to her, helped her, heck, even took out Kazekage for her, she had felt warm around him, even if he was seething with cold rays. She hid herself within Minato's coat, shrinking herself inside of it.

"I don't know. I mean, I don't even know what to do," Mikoto said shyly. "I'm not even sure if he likes me back."

"Oh really?" Minato had a sly smirk spread across his face. Mikoto gulped. She knew that look too well. It was a rare look, but it always meant he was up to something evil.

"Oi Inoichi! Miko-chan wants to give you a big fat kiss for taking down Kazekage!" Minato had suddenly declared.

Inoichi had finally stopped swirling Kazekage around in the dumpster, his face lighting up with greed and childish delight. His eyes sparkled. "REALLY? OH _MIKO-CHAN_ I KNEW THAT EVEN THROUGH YOUR NONSENSE LOVE FOR UCHIHA YOU STILL DESIRE THE TOUCH OF A YAMANAKA'S-EEK!"

Inoichi shrunk underneath the death glare Fugaku was sending him. Fugaku had his arms crossed, but Inoichi could clearly see his fists tighten up, waiting for it to meet the blonde's face. Inoichi chuckled nervously, backing away slowly.

"Ahahaha nevermind. Why don't you kissy wissy Fuga-chan, instead? I mean come on, that guy is like the virgin of everything and dyin for your touch! You know, I know this very swanky hotel room, with the perfect heart-shaped bed in the honeymoon suite-OW!"

Inoichi's head fell to the floor as Fugaku crackled his knuckles. He smirked.

"Damn that felt good."

Minato turned to Mikoto with a huge grin, almost cat-like. It was almost scaring her. "See what I mean?"

Mikoto's face was the color of a tomato.

* * *

Okay guys, I'm pretty sure there's one more chapter left just as a heads up. Anyway, thanks for all he kept reading this story. This pairing is usually not my forte but I gave it a try and worked out pretty good :) I'm proud that I've managed to create a good story out of this pairing and I enjoy your wonderful reviews that inspire me to write more and more. You don't know how much I'm dying to keep updating everyday when I can't because I want to hand you guys the next chapter. Anyway, I hate to sound like a commercial, but I was wondering if you guys could check out my new story "Rumy-Nin." The pairing is SasuSaku, which is the one I always do. It's basically a high school fiction, kinda gossip-girl esque almost. Anyway, it would mean the world if you guys could check that out for a minute. I've only put up the prologue and won't really start until I'm done with this story. I put up the prologue because the idea came to me so quickly that I just had to write it down and post it up and see the response. So far, it's only been up for a few hours so yeah...

Anyway, sorry that the chapter is short. Don't worry; it's building up for the ultimate momemt GAAAAHHH


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Last. Chapter. EVER.

Just kidding, there's one more after this one! I wanted to make a resolve for Mikoto and Fugaku but I wanted to update this as soon as I can so that will be the last chapter, and a little special too ;)

But still, ENJOY

* * *

"Miko-chan, I'm not sure about this."

"Oh stop being such a pansy! You're already here, so do it!"

"But what if she doesn't accept me back?"

"You're such a girl, Minato-kun."

"Why does everybody think I'm a chick-"

"Forget that. Do it, now!"

"Why did you tag along anyway?"

"Stop trying to avoid it, and I'm here to make sure you actually do it. Now out of the car!" Mikoto pushed Minato right out of the driver's seat and shut the door once he was outside.

Minato gave her a "that's my own car, don't do that again" look, stubbornly trying to open the door again. Mikoto crossed her arms together, shaking her head. She had a very stern look. It resembled his mother a lot. Whimpering in defeat, he made his slow trek up to Kushina's front door. The door felt like a stone wall to Minato, like he had to use all his strength and a hundred times more just to knock it. He gulped, unsure if this really was the right thing to do. He stared at it for a while, knowing that eventually he would have to do it. Mikoto was sitting in his car watching his every move and there was no way she was letting him get off the hook.

Minato held in his breath and knocked on the door. It took a couple of seconds before he saw Kushina's face peak through the window curtains. They were caught in the moment for a second. he hadn't seen her bright eyes since last night. He smiled at her weakly, trying to reassure her things he knew he couldn't. Her face left the window. His eyes widened when he saw the door creak open. Kushina's figure popped in between. She was wearing an oversized tee and shorts, making him blush slightly at her cuteness without even trying. Her hair was still messy but it didn't change the beauty on her face. He let himself another second to just stare at her, reminding himself of the damage he had done to her last night. She had a very solemn look, something he created.

"Kushina-chan, I'm sorry, but-"

"Come in," She ordered softly. "It's hot outside."

Minato stood there, a bit shocked, but nodded. He walked inside, where she led him to her tiny living room. She sat on the couch, her knees buckled together as Minato sat across from her, his legs spread out. He didn't know how to start this. He was expecting her to just shut the door in front of him or totally ignore him. He rather have her do that than this right now. It was as if she was ready to forgive him for anything, really. He didn't want that. It made the guilt in his heart even more painful. He didn't want to live with this. He didn't want to think he did that to a nice girl like Kushina.

He didn't know what to say. How was he going to explain something that was nearly impossible to explain? He didn't want to sound like a coward, making up excuses. He had to do it. It was the only favor Mikoto asked him to do. Nothing more. He had to do this for Kushina. She had a right to know after going through all of that.

"Kushina," he began, trying not to sound nervous. "I want to talk about last night. You see, I-I-"

"Miko-chan told me."

Minato blinked. "What?"

Kushina nodded her head. "She told me everything about your bet with Kazekage, how if you didn't do it, he would."

He was confused. This wasn't what was supposed to happen. He was at a loss of words. His own friend. "But w-w-why-"

"She was worried you wouldn't tell me first hand like you were about to right now," Kushina explained. Her tone was different. It sounded very strong and right to the point. She wasn't crying like last night anymore. It was as if her strength was renewed immediately and that she was going to take charge. "Thought you were still going to try to be the noble nice guy and pretend to be a jerk to me. I just wanted you to save your breath and answer my questions."

"Why didn't you do it?"

Minato stiffened. He wasn't prepared to answer that question. He took in a huge gulp and looked straight into her eyes. He couldn't lie now. Not to her. The lies would end now.

"Because I couldn't. I couldn't put you through that kind of thing, not because I didn't know you that long, but because-" he hesitated at this part. In his mind, either it was going to sound tragically romantic or painfully cheesy.

"I fell in love with you."

Kushina stiffled out a hard chuckle.

"That's gotta be the most cheesiest excuse I've ever heard that I can't believe-"

"But it's true," Minato interrupted, intent on getting his point through. "I could never forgive myself if I forced you into that. I dunno if regret it or not for making that decision, but at that moment I guess...Kazekage didn't matter to me anymore. I was so scared that he was going to get you until I realized he could never. You're too strong for him, you would never fall for his trap. Even if I was worried to death that Kazekage would find out I didn't finish the bet, I had faith in you. You would never give yourself up to a guy like him. That's why I fell in love with you. I love you because you're so strong, beautiful, amazing, loud, and-"

"Shut up about how awesome I am and let me finish my freakin sentence," Kushina said, placing a finger on Minato's lips. He blushed heavily, earning him a giggle from Kushina.

"Like I was saying. That's gotta be the most cheesiest excuse I've ever heard that I can't believe I still love you."

Minato's eyes widened as he face grew even hotter. He couldn't believe what she was saying.

"D-D-D-Did y-y-y-you j-j-j-just s-s-s-say the L-L-L w-w-w-word-"

Kushina burst into a fit of laughter, unable to contain herself. "Oh Minato-kun, you never cease to make me laugh! You're such an idiot!"

"B-B-But I don't understand. I practically tried to rape you and that's what you end up saying?" Minato was definitely confused. "I mean, why would you, out of all people, accept me back? Forget about the bet, y-y-you don't understand that I still tried to take advantage of-"

"Now you listen to me as I explain why I think you're an idiot," She demanded sternly. "Your face is always red when we make the slightest touch. You panic at the sight of girls fawning over you. You freak at the word 'sex' even when you attempted to do it with me. You beat yourself every time you curse. You're too freaking nice to people who treat you like shit.

"But that's why I still wanna be with you. I like that you still turn red when we touch because it makes everyday feel like a brand new day with you. I knew that I could always trust you. Sure, you tried to do that with me, but I always had that feeling that deep down, you didn't want to do it. When you left, I beat myself around for being so stupid to fall for a jerk like you. And then I found out the truth. You don't know how happy I was when I realized my gut was right."

Minato noticed that tears were forming along the rim of her eyes. _And she's still smiling just like the first day I met her..._

He immediately embraced her into a tight hug. She buried her face into his warm chest, letting the tears fall to her victory. He couldn't believe that everything Kushina had said was the real pain he caused her. He kissed her forehead softly.

"Kushina...I'm so sorry..."

He heard another laugh underneath his chin.

"Why isn't your face red right now?" She joked. Minato chuckled.

"You made my face turn red so many times, you practically sucked out all the color from my skin."

They laughted harmoniously. His eyes looked down as he cupped Kushina's cheeks. They were puffy from the tears, yet she still had the biggest, warmest smile on her face. It was the smile that made Minato wake up every morning to school just to see her, even if it was just an hour or two. He leaned, wanting to capture her lips again. The lips that he thought he had lost forever.

"Kushina..." he whispered, his breath mingling with hers. And then...

"OH LA LA! THE WITTLE BABY CAN ACTUALLY START KISSES NOW!"

"HE'S A BIG BOY NOW!'

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS? SHE JUST FORGIVES HIM JUST LIKE THAT? WHY CAN'T THEY BE OVERLY DRAMATIC LIKE THOSE DAMN KOREANS? KUSHI-CHAN, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF HIM, THEN MAKE OUT WITH THE YELLOW FELLOW, THEN ARGUE WITH HIM SO THE WHOLE WORLD CAN HEAR, THEN RUN TO ME TO COMFORT, THEN GO BACK TO HIM, THEN REALIZE I'M THE ONE YOU WANT, THEN SOMEONE POINTLESS LIKE CHOZU OR SHIKAKU DIES! THIS IS STUUUPPPIIIDDD, RIGHT HYUUGAS?"

"YOU TROUBLESOME IDIOTS! STOP YELLING BEFORE THEY DISCOVER US!"

"SHIKAKU, YOU'RE BEING THE LOUDEST RIGHT NOW!"

"YEAH, LISTEN TO THE FAT BOY!"

"I...AM...NOT...FAT!"

"You stupid boys, those two are having a VERY private moment so stop spying!"

"OI UCHIHA YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO KEEP HER BUSY BY GETTING A LITTLE SOME-SOME IN THE CAR!"

"SHUT UP YAMANAKA. THE DOOR WAS OPEN!"

"Oohhh, so he doesn't deny it."

"By still has respect to keep the door open. touche."

"I HAD _NO_ SUCH INTENTIONS!"

"Brother, I think we're witnessing a miracle here: An Uchiha turning red."

"So Chidori, how would you rate Uchiha's work?"

"HIASHI!"

Kushina and Minato watched from the living room through the window at their friends arguing and yelling at each other. Although the boys and Mikoto had interrupted them, the two couldn't help but laugh in joy. It was good to have things return back to normal.


	14. Epilogue

Epilogue

"Have you guys ever wondered?"

"Wondered what, Inoichi?"

"What the hell did we do with our lives before Kushi-chan came?"

There was an eery silence between the group of boys. They all exchanged blank stares with one another. When the hell did Inoichi get so smart butt about this kind of stuff? Shikaku leaned back against the wall, a toothpick in between his teeth.

"Who knows? Life was already comfortable enough," he commented as he looked up to the clouds. The drifted so easily and with no care in the world, like he and the boys once were before that whole ordeal. It was over now. They would resume to being just clouds in the sky, waiting for anything. Sure they wasted too much time doing absolutely nothing, but they treasured times like this.

"You know, it is good to get back to it," Chozu replied. "Three months of nothing but helping Minato with that stupid bet. We nearly forgotten how to just chill again."

Everybody nodded.

"I kinda like this calmness, ya know? No girls to mess with us again," Inoichi chuckled.

The Hyuuga twins exchanged weird looks with each other. "Yamanaka, did you just swallow a smartass pill or something?"

Inoichi shook his head, understanding their reaction. "Nah, just after seeing the things Minato and Kushi-chan went through and managed to get back, it's amazing. Makes me kinda want the dream life again instead of a harem. A wife and a kid, maybe a girl."

Chozu raised an eyebrow. "Why would you want a girl?"

"Why wouldn't I? Sure it would be awesome to have a boy that I can teach my tricks to, but I want a girl that can be my little princess!" Inoichi exclaimed too cheerfully before gasping at the sight at Shikaku. "NARA, WOULDN'T IT BE SOOOOO AWESOME IF MY BABY GIRL GETS IT GOING WITH YOUR FUTURE BOY-"

Shikaku whacked him on the head, gritting his teeth angrily.

"Not...while...I'm...alive...loud...blond...grandchildren..."

Inoichi laughed victoriously. "Fine, fine! But life is so boring now. Hey Uchiha, maybe we can finally hook you up for real with Miko-chan!"

Fugaku, who was sitting quietly to the side eating rice crackers, had a vein popping through his forehead. "I have no such intentions."

Inoichi moaned. "Aww come on, big boy! Now that Minato's with Kushi-chan half the time, we gotta make life more interesting-Whoa, LOOK!"

All heads turned to where Inoichi was pointing his finger. All jaws gasped and dropped to the ground. All pair of eyes widened with shock at the scene before them.

Kazekage had Uzumaki Kushina up against the wall as her finger traced across his chest. She had a seductive smirk.

"You know, that scrawny Namikaze could never make me want you like this," Kushina said to him with intense eyes.

Kazekage growled. "Well, since he isn't around I guess we could..." He inched his face closer to hers so that their nose were touching.

Inoichi looked like he was about to cry. "Oh no, _she's_ betraying him? Oh and I though Kushi-chan was innocent!"

"Shut up, Inoichi, and let's see what's really going on!" Shikaku hushed him quickly, also curious for this certain situation.

Kushina placed a finger on his lips, giggling. She could see that it enticed Kazekage.

"Oh and I heard you were a master at this," Kushina teased playfully, her fingers trailing down to his chest again and even lower to his pants. "But I got better plans..."

Everybody's mouth was in the shape of an "O." They didn't know what they were going to tell Minato. All this time, they had thought she was so innocent and easy. But now this. They couldn't believe this.

And they were still right to much their relief, surprise, and pain, when they saw that Kushina's legs immediately went straight up to Kazekage's crotch. He yelped in pain, almost like a little girl. His body was shaking, as if electrocuted. Within a second, his body laid on the ground, his hands reaching for the pain. Kushina smirked as she saw the tears forming around Kazekage's eyes. She crouched down, scrummaging through Kazekage's pockets until she pulled out a bright, red piece of cloth. As she stood up, she gave him another kick. Kazekage whimpered. The other boys stepped back. They had to remind themselves never to mess with this girl. EVER.

"THAT'S FOR STEALING MY FAVORITE PANTIES, EYEBROWLESS BITCH!"

Inoichi blew out a soft whistle. Kushina immediately turned around at the sight of the boys. All of them squeaked like mice. She laughed nervously.

"Ah, I'm sorry guys! I-I-I was just getting my panties back you know? After Minato stole them," She explained as if it was just a princess story. The boys gulped.

Shikaku spoke, or at least, tried to. "Um, d-d-d-d-does M-M-M-Minato k-k-k-know j-j-j-just i-i-i-in c-c-c-case-"

"Man, Shikaku, I thought the first time I hear you stutter like this would be when you finally ask Yoshino-chan out," Minato teased as he walked up next to Kushina. Everybody gawked. Something was definitely off.

Inoichi pointed an accused finger at Kushina. "OI YELLOW FELLOW! YOU BETTER HOLD ON TIGHT TO HER! YOU ARE ONE LUCKY BASTARD, BOY! DID YOU NOT SEE THE WAY SHE MANIPULATED KAZEKAGE WITH HER LUSCIOUS LIPS AND THAT CUTE LITTLE SMIRK-"

"Yamanaka, cut it," She said sternly. "That was only the first part of Minato's promise if we were to be back together."

"Then what's the second part?" Hizashi asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kushina didn't answer. Instead, she turned to Fugaku and sent him a death glare. Fugaku raised an eyebrow, not sure what she was trying to say. Then he looked around everybody and they all had similar looks. As if on cue, they all smirked. He gulped.

"Not again."

* * *

"Thank you for the lesson, Miko-sensei!"

As the last kid ran off from the ballet studio, Mikoto sighed. She was finally done with the day. She looked around her empty studio, not one kid in sight. She picked up all her belongings, closing up the studio. It wasn't even 5 but Mikoto had promised Kushina and Minato to meet them at the park later. Apparently, they had invited her to a picnic and although Mikoto insisted that the two should spend more time alone, the two persuaded her anyway.

She looked around the city, up to the bright, orange sky. The deal was finally over. And Kushina and Minato still managed to be together. It was a miracle how these things worked. She couldn't be more happier than now. She and Minato were finally talking again just like old times. She and Kushina were practically best friends. What better way for her best friends to date each other? She giggled. Things had a strange way of working in life.

She found herself at the park quicker than she thought. The grassy field were cool to her leg's touch. moved wit the wind. Mikoto's hair flew all over her face, blocking her view from the sight. As she was about to push her hair behind her ear, a pair of rough, dark hands had beat her to it. Mikoto blushed at the touch, smitten by the mysterious person. As she looked up, her face was even redder.

"F-F-F-Fugaku-kun?"

Fugaku nodded calmly, as if what he just did was the sanest thing ever. At least, for an Uchiha. He doesn't do things like that. She looked around, sighing. So that was Kushina and Minato's goal. She couldn't believe them. They were aware of what she was going through. Even if Shikaku said Fugaku cared about her, Mikoto thought that it stopped there.

"Look, I'm sorry if those two dragged you into this. I-I-I should just go home-"

"Chidori, wait, allow me to-"

"It's okay. I think I can walk myself home for once, thank you," Mikoto said quickly, turning away from Fugaku. She did not want to see him right now.

"Chidori-"

"Fugaku, please, Shikaku told me everything, okay?" Mikoto said, almost yelling at him. "The whole thing is over already. Y-You don't have to listen to Minato all the time a-a-and always look out for me. I can take care of myself so thank you for the help, but I'm perfectly fine-"

"No, you're not Mikoto."

Mikoto stopped. Her eyes widened. That was a new word for him: Mikoto. He had never called her that. She looked him right in the eye. They were calm and steady as usual, and yet Mikoto couldn't see the coldness in them as before. They were centered right at her face and hers only.

"W-W-What-"

"I'm not doing this right now because of Minato. I'm doing this because I want to." Two sentences. When were Uchihas capable of saying more than a word, let alone a sentence? Fugaku was really setting up some new standards.

"I'm sorry for leading you on, making you think that after the kiss, we...you know..." Fugaku stopped there, closing his eye. Mikoto nodded. She knew what he was trying to say. He just didn't have the guts to say it.

"Face it, at first, it was all to help Minato. The other guys were trying to set us up together so you wouldn't be with that loud girl all the time. But I guess that after a while I..." He did it again. He looked away and hesitated. Mikoto could see the hint of red on his strong cheekbones.

He never got to say it. Mikoto went up to him in an embrace. She pressed her cheeks against his strong, hard chest. Her arms hung in a circle around his waist. Fugaku fidgeted for a moment, but he slowly relaxed. He looked down at her head with an uneasy face.

"Mikoto..."

"I get it. Uchihas don't have a wide enough vocabulary to ask a girl out," Mikoto teased under her breath. "But it's alright. I wouldn't like you this much if you actually talked."

Fugaku smirked. He pushed her back so that they were facing each other. "Well, that's because Uchihas would rather do something else than talk to girls."

Mikoto blushed as she saw his face lean towards hers. She remembered this. It was just like that night at the club. Except this time it would be so much better. He was lifting one hand to reach for her cheek, pausing it midair. His lips were an inch away from her. Half an inch. A centimeter. She could imagine it once more. He was finally doing this out of his own heart. Their lips barely grazed each other when-

"FUGAKU THAT FUCKING HAND OF YOURS BETTER NOT BE TOUCHING HER BOOBIES!"

"MINATO, STUUUPID! HOW COULD YOU, OUT OF ALL PEOPLE, RUIN THE MOOD?"

"YAMANAKA, SHUT THE HELL UP!"

"HE STARTED IT!"

"FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE MINATO, THIS IS NOT WHY I CHOSE YOU TO BE MY BOYFRIEND! YOU JUST RUINED A PERFECTLY GOOD MOOD!"

"EXCUSE ME KUSHINA-CHAN BUT IT WAS YOU WHO SET UP THIS IDEA! I DO NOT APPROVE! WHO KNOWS WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED IF I WASN'T HERE?"

"OH SO NOW YOU'RE BLAMING ME!"

"Oh how cute, they're having their first fight."

"Isn't it darling? It's like they're married already."

"SHUT UP HYUUGAS!"

"CALM DOWN! YOU KNOW UCHIHA WOULD NEVER DO THAT TO CHIDORI!"

"Or mayber...he would."

There's a long pause of silence...

"FUGAKU I'M HANDCUFFING YOUR HANDS FIRST, THEN YOU CAN KISS MIKO-CHAN ALL YOU WANT!"

"NOW YOU'RE BEING IRRATIONAL!"

Fugaku scowled. "To hell with this."

Without a care in the world, he grabbed both of Mikoto's cheeks and slammed his lips against hers. Mikoto followed suit. The thought of all her friends hiding behind the trees with their overly loud argument didn't matter to her anymore. She was in Fugaku's embrace and that made her smile enough already. She would never thought that Fugaku was capable of doing something like this. She never thought that Fugaku would ever make butterflies in her stomach and her cheeks grow hot.

Looks like the bet did had some good results for her after all.

The End

* * *

IT'S OVER! I"m so sad. I actually really liked this. It was my first non-Sasusaku pairing and in my opinion, it went pretty good. It's not perfect, but I feel great after finishing this. Maybe I'll resume to this couple again one day, but who knows? Sasusaku has always been my favorite pairing and therefore, I get the most inspirations from that. Thank you guys for always reading this story. I look forward to updating quicker for you guys' sakes. I hate skipping a week of updating because it means you guys won't be able to read it. Thank you so much. I know it's too much to ask, but if you guys could check out my other new story "Rumy-Nin," it would mean the world to me. I hate sounding like a commercial, but I really want you guys to check that out. If you guys like it, I hope you guys keep reading and reviewing it! If you don't, it's alright. Some stories are just not meant for some people. It's like how people either really love Twilight or really hate it.

I can never say this enough, but thank you so much you guys. On days when I don't feel like writing for myself, I can always look to you guys to write for and that makes me happy.

With Love,

Nakoujou


End file.
